Analysis of Spatial Gene Expression at the Cellular Level in Stony Corals

Scleractinians, or stony corals, are colonial animals that possess a high regenerative capacity and a highly diverse innate immune system. As such they present the opportunity to investigate the interconnection between regeneration and immunity in a colonial animal. Understanding the relationship between regeneration and immunity in stony corals is of further interest as it has major implications for coral reef health. One method for understanding the role of innate immunity in scleractinian regeneration is in situ hybridization using RNA probes. Here we describe a protocol for in situ hybridization in adult stony corals using a digoxigenin (DIG)-labeled RNA antisense probe which can be utilized to investigate the spatial expression of immune factors during regeneration.