Acropora spp
Transcriptom comparison within zooids from the stony coral Acropora spp. (Cnidaria) supports increase stress and immune responses in bleached zooids
Several metazoan conserved genes were detected in both EST libraries with significant different expression level, although only low amount of the EST data could be functional analyzed. It suggested increase oxidative stress, ER stress, and immune responses leading to high expression of several stress response genes and genes of the complement system. Moreover, high expression of cell survival stress response genes suggested inhibition of cell death mechanisms apoptosis and autophagy, which prolong the cell life and could facilitate the ingression and establishment of new endosymbionts, but also of pathogen microorganism. This could explain the increased susceptibility of bleached corals to coral diseases.
In this study, comprehensive EST libraries from a natural coral colony Acropora spp. with zooids of either high or low symbiont density were determined and characterized. Expression level differences among GO terms and selected single genes were analyzed to detect different regulated cellular processes between established symbiotic and bleached zooids in natural environmental.