title: The crown-of-thorns starfish genome as a guide for biocontrol of this coral reef pest.
abstract: The crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS, the Acanthaster planci species group) is a highly fecund predator of reef-building corals throughout the Indo-Pacific region. COTS population outbreaks cause substantial loss of coral cover, diminishing the integrity and resilience of reef ecosystems. Here we sequenced genomes of COTS from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia and Okinawa, Japan to identify gene products that underlie species-specific communication and could potentially be used in biocontrol strategies. We focused on water-borne chemical plumes released from aggregating COTS, which make the normally sedentary starfish become highly active. Peptide sequences detected in these plumes by mass spectrometry are encoded in the COTS genome and expressed in external tissues. The exoproteome released by aggregating COTS consists largely of signalling factors and hydrolytic enzymes, and includes an expanded and rapidly evolving set of starfish-specific ependymin-related proteins. These secreted proteins may be detected by members of a large family of olfactory-receptor-like G-protein-coupled receptors that are expressed externally, sometimes in a sex-specific manner. This study provides insights into COTS-specific communication that may guide the generation of peptide mimetics for use on reefs with COTS outbreaks.
authors.affiliation: Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), Cape Ferguson, Townsville, Queensland 4810, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: Centre for Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Kevin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kocot
authors.affiliation: Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenneth W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Baughman
authors.affiliation: Centre for Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Selene L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Valverde
authors.affiliation: Centre for Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Marie E A
authors.initials: MEA
authors.lastname: Gauthier
authors.affiliation: Centre for Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: William L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Hatleberg
authors.affiliation: Centre for Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Arunkumar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krishnan
authors.affiliation: Centre for Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Carmel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McDougall
authors.affiliation: Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), Cape Ferguson, Townsville, Queensland 4810, Australia.
authors.forename: Cherie A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Motti
authors.affiliation: Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan.
authors.forename: Eiichi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shoguchi
authors.affiliation: Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland 4558, Australia.
authors.forename: Tianfang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Centre for Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Xueyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.affiliation: Centre for Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.|Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland 4558, Australia.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), Cape Ferguson, Townsville, Queensland 4810, Australia.|Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland 4558, Australia.
authors.forename: Utpal
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bose
authors.affiliation: Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan.
authors.forename: Chuya
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shinzato
authors.affiliation: Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan.
authors.forename: Kanako
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hisata
authors.affiliation: DNA Sequencing Section, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan.
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujie
authors.affiliation: DNA Sequencing Section, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan.
authors.forename: Miyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanda
authors.affiliation: Genecology Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland 4558, Australia.
authors.forename: Scott F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Cummins
authors.affiliation: Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.affiliation: Centre for Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Sandie M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Degnan
authors.affiliation: Centre for Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Bernard M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Degnan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000469:parasitology; D001315:Australia; D032701:Biomimetics; D057894:Coral Reefs; D005260:Female; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics*; D019156:Indian Ocean; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D020543:Proteome / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D012737:Sex Factors; D013045:Species Specificity; D013215:Starfish / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D020543:Proteome; C031632:ependymins