Fluorescent protein-mediated colour polymorphism in reef corals: multicopy genes extend the...

Area of Science:

• Marine Biology
• Genomics
• Ecology

Background:

• Coral reefs face survival challenges due to climate change.
• Intraspecific variability in coral stress responses is key to adaptation.
• Green fluorescent protein (GFP) family genes play a role in coral plasticity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the genomic basis of stress response plasticity in corals.
• To understand how gene copy number affects pigment expression and coral adaptation.
• To elucidate the role of fluorescent proteins in coral photoprotection.

Main Methods:

• Studied intraspecific variability in coral pigment gene expression.
• Utilized the red fluorescent protein amilFP597 in Acropora millepora as a model.
• Correlated pigment concentration with gene copy number and promoter type.

Main Results:

• Multicopy genes enhance the dynamic range of coral transcript levels in response to light.
• Expression of amilFP597 increases with light intensity, with variations among color morphs.
• Pigment concentration is linked to gene copy number, indicating environmentally regulated expression.

Conclusions:

• Color polymorphism in corals can result from environmentally regulated expression of multicopy genes.
• High amilFP597 expression offers photoprotection to zooxanthellae under light stress.
• Corals exhibit significant intraspecific plasticity in stress responses, enabling diverse adaptation strategies.