Basic biology of the black band disease in corals

• Project/Area Number: 15H02843
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Modeling and technologies for environmental conservation and remediation
• Research Institution: University of the Ryukyus
• Principal Investigator: YAMASAKI Hideo 琉球大学, 理学部, 教授 (40222369)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 山城 秀之 琉球大学, 熱帯生物圏研究センター, 教授 (80341676) ; 須田 彰一郎 琉球大学, 理学部, 教授 (00359986) ; 日高 道雄 琉球大学, 理学部, 教授 (00128498)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2017)
• Budget Amount: ¥16,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥13,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥3,900,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥3,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥900,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥4,940,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,140,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥8,060,000 (Direct Cost: ¥6,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,860,000)
• Keywords: 造礁サンゴ / サンゴ / ブラックバンド病 / シアノバクテリア / 感染症 / 環境変動 / 病変 / 細菌 / 硫化水素 / 毒素 / サンゴ礁 / 病理学 / 海水富栄養化 / 海洋生物学 / アミノ酸 / 富栄養化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Black band disease (BBD) can be defined as a polymicrobial disease of corals whose direct cause is not clear yet. Aiming to find out practical methods to mitigate the disease, we have investigated BBD to understand its basic biology. BBD-infected corals were found in Okinoerabu-jima, Miyako-jima, and Okinawa-jima; they were mostly encrusting Montipora corals. In Okinawan BBD corals, a filamentous cyanobacterium Roseofilum reptotaenium was identified as a dominant cyanobacterial species. The BBD-infected colonies produced fluorescent micro-particles in the tissues that were recognized as fluorescent bands or rings on corals, a novel observation that can be applied for diagnosis of BBD. Among various treatments tested, a continuous dark condition was found to be the most effective to cure the disease; the BBD symptom completely disappeared with a 9 days dark-treatment. As a possible mechanism for the BBD infection, D-amino acid metabolism was explored with model systems.

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] Sonoma State University(米国)
• [Journal Article] Corals dominate monofilament in Sesoko Island, Japan. Current Science (2018)
  • Author(s): Das RR, Yamashiro H
  • Journal Title: Japan. Current Science Volume: 114 Pages: 730-731
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Large Porites microatoll found by aerial survey at Sesoko Island, Okinawa, Japan. (2017)
  • Author(s): Takeuchi I, Yamashiro H
  • Journal Title: Coral Reefs Volume: 36 Issue: 4 Pages: 1317-1317
  • DOI: 10.1007/s00338-017-1626-1
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Montipora digitata Exoskeleton derived aragonite particles are useful scaffold for tissue-engineered vascular graft in vitro. (2017)
  • Author(s): Okamura T, Uemura N, Baba S, Yasuda N, Yamashiro H, Imai K, Nishikawa T, Shimizu H, Shida M, Tominaga K, Tanaka A
  • Journal Title: Nano Biomedicine Volume: 9 Pages: 101-111
  • NAID: 130006415671
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Bimodal effect of hydrogen peroxide and oxidative events in nitrite-induced rapid root abscission by the water fern Azolla pinnata. (2017)
  • Author(s): Cohen MF, Gurung S, Birarda G, Holman H-YN, Yamasaki H
  • Journal Title: Frontiers in Plant Science Volume: 6 Pages: 237-244
  • DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2015.00518
• [Journal Article] Dynamics of nitrite content in fresh spinach leaves: evidence for nitrite formation caused by microbial nitrate reductase activity (2017)
  • Author(s): Watanabe, N.S., Yamasaki H.
  • Journal Title: Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences Volume: 7 Issue: 01
  • DOI: 10.4172/2155-9600.1000572
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Biological consilience of hydrogen sulfide and nitric oxide in plants: Gases of primordial earth linking plant, microbial and animal physiologies (2016)
  • Author(s): Yamasaki H, Cohen MF
  • Journal Title: Nitric Oxide Volume: 55-56 Pages: 91-100
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.niox.2016.04.002
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] イシサンゴ類の脂質，その特徴と役割 (2016)
  • Author(s): 山城秀之
  • Journal Title: オレオサイエンス Volume: 16 Pages: 21-24
  • NAID: 130007590147
• [Journal Article] An overview of methods in plant NO research: Why do we always need to use multiple methods? (2015)
  • Author(s): Yamasaki H, Watanabe NS, Sakihama Y, Cohen MF
  • Journal Title: Methods in Molecular Biology Volume: 1423 Pages: 1-14
  • DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3600-7_1
  • ISBN: 9781493935987, 9781493936007
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Outbreak of white syndrome in Acropora spp., temperate region of Japan. (2015)
  • Author(s): Yamashiro H, Fukuda M, Fukami H
  • Journal Title: Marine Biodiversity Volume: 45 Issue: 2 Pages: 1-2
  • DOI: 10.1007/s12526-015-0374-0
  • Peer Reviewed / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Presentation] サンゴの常識・非常識 (2018)
  • Author(s): 山城秀之
  • Organizer: 平成29年度九州地区総合技術研究会 in OKINAWA
  • Invited
• [Presentation] 2.Diversity assessment of coral endolithic cyanobacteria using tufa metabarcording (2017)
  • Author(s): Nuruyadi,, H., Saubage,, T., Schmidt, W.E., Fredericq, S., Suda, S.
  • Organizer: 日本藻類学会第41回大会
  • Place of Presentation: 高知大学, 高知
  • Year and Date: 2017-03-24
• [Presentation] Okeania sp. from the shore region of Kyan, Itoman, Okinawa (Cyanobacteria) (2017)
  • Author(s): Hutabarat, P.U.B., Nguyen, X.H., Nuruyadi, H., Teruya, T., Suda, S.
  • Organizer: 3.日本藻類学会第41回大会
  • Place of Presentation: 高知大学, 高知
  • Year and Date: 2017-03-24
• [Presentation] ドローンによる空撮によって確認された瀬底島沖のハマサンゴの巨大マイクロアトール (2017)
  • Author(s): 竹内一郎、山城秀之
  • Organizer: 日本サンゴ礁学会（第20回大会）
• [Presentation] Coral fragments infected with disease effects larval settlement and survivorship in experimental conditions. (2017)
  • Author(s): Rocktim R Das, Hideyuki Yamashiro
  • Organizer: 日本サンゴ礁学会（第20回大会）
• [Presentation] 海洋酸性化が付着生物の加入定着に及ぼす影響評価実験 (2017)
  • Author(s): 宮城愛夏，善岡祐輝，井口 亮，山城秀之，酒井一彦，林正裕，鈴木淳，野尻幸宏
  • Organizer: 日本サンゴ礁学会（第20回大会）
• [Presentation] 沖縄県瀬底研究施設前のサンゴ白化状況報告 (2017)
  • Author(s): 山城秀之・竹内一郎
  • Organizer: 日本動物学会 (第88回大会）
• [Presentation] 瀬底研究施設前のサンゴ白化および白化回復後の死亡事例について (2017)
  • Author(s): 山城秀之・竹内一郎
  • Organizer: 沖縄生物学会（第54回大会）
• [Presentation] Composition of microphytobenthic biofilms in coral reefs and consequences on coral recruitment. (2017)
  • Author(s): Passarelli, C., Loubet, A, Hubas, C., Harii, S., Yamashiro H.
  • Organizer: British Phycological Society Meeting 2017
  • Place of Presentation: Bangor, UK
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Dynamics of nitrite content in fresh spinach leaves, (2016)
  • Author(s): Watanabe, N.S. and Yamasaki, H.
  • Organizer: 9th International congress on biology, chemistry and therapeutic applications
  • Place of Presentation: Sendai International Center, Sendai, Japan
  • Year and Date: 2016-05-20
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] ONS biology for bridging the gaps (2016)
  • Author(s): Yamasak,i H.
  • Organizer: 9th International congress on biology, chemistry and therapeutic applications
  • Place of Presentation: Sendai International Center, Sendai, Japan
  • Year and Date: 2016-05-20
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] Characterization of Black Band Disease (BBD) related cyanobacteria from Okinawa. (2016)
  • Author(s): Hutabarat PUB, Hoa XN and Suda S
  • Organizer: 日本藻類学会第40回大会
  • Place of Presentation: 日本歯科大学、東京
  • Year and Date: 2016-03-19
• [Presentation] Fluorescent daily banding on the surface of diseased coral. (2016)
  • Author(s): Yamashiro, H.
  • Organizer: 22nd International Congress of Zoology
  • Place of Presentation: OIST, Okinawa, Japan
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Metabarcoding approach for profiling coral-associated microbial community of diseased coral around northern limit area. (2016)
  • Author(s): Yoshioka,Y., Arakaki,S., Yamashiro, H., Tanabe, T., Iguchi, A.
  • Organizer: 22nd International Congress of Zoology
  • Place of Presentation: OIST, Okinawa, Japan
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Composition of microphytobenthic biofilms in coral reefs and consequences on coral recruitment. (2016)
  • Author(s): Passarelli, C., Louber, A., Hubas, C., Harii, S., Yamashiro, H.
  • Organizer: British Diatomists Meeting
  • Place of Presentation: Preston Montford Field Studies Centre, Shrewsbury, UK
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 016年夏季における瀬底研究施設地先海域のサンゴ白化状況（速報） (2016)
  • Author(s): 竹内一郎・山城秀之
  • Organizer: 日本サンゴ礁学会（第19回大会）
  • Place of Presentation: タイムスビル、沖縄
• [Presentation] メタバーコーディング解析による感染症罹患サンゴ細菌相の網羅的把握-MiSeqによるアプローチ (2016)
  • Author(s): 善岡祐輝・新垣沙紀・山城秀之・井口亮
  • Organizer: マリンバイオテクノロジー学会
  • Place of Presentation: 北海道大学, 北海道
• [Presentation] Taxonomy and molecular phylogeny of coral disease-related cyanobacteria from Okinawa, Japan. (2015)
  • Author(s): Hoa XN, Suda S
  • Organizer: 10th International Workshop on the Oceanography and Fisheries Science in the East China Sea
  • Place of Presentation: Jeju National University, Korea
  • Year and Date: 2015-11-01
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Book] サンゴ飼育完全マニュアル2017 (2017)
  • Author(s): 山城秀之
  • Total Pages: 154
  • Publisher: 笠倉出版
• [Book] サンゴ -知られざる世界- (2016)
  • Author(s): 山城秀之
  • Total Pages: 165
  • Publisher: 成山堂