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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 12, 2025

Multimodal Optical Microscopy Methods Reveal Polyp Tissue Morphology and Structure in Caribbean Reef Building Corals

Multimodal Optical Microscopy Methods Reveal Polyp Tissue Morphology and Structure in Caribbean Reef Building Corals

Published on: September 5, 2014

Multiple opsins in a reef-building coral, Acropora millepora.

Benjamin M Mason^1,2, Mitsumasa Koyanagi^3,4,5, Tomohiro Sugihara^3,5

¹ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia.

Scientific Reports

|January 29, 2023

Summary

Coral opsins, light-sensitive proteins, were studied in Acropora millepora. Researchers found multiple opsins that activate distinct cellular signaling pathways, including cyclic nucleotide and calcium signaling, in response to light.

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Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting for the Isolation of Scleractinian Cell Populations

Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting for the Isolation of Scleractinian Cell Populations

Published on: May 31, 2020

Area of Science:

Marine biology
Molecular biology
Biochemistry

Background:

Opsins are light-sensitive G protein-coupled receptors crucial for vision and light sensing.
While opsins exist in corals, their specific functions and properties remain largely uncharacterized.
Understanding coral opsins is vital for comprehending their responses to light environments.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify and characterize opsin genes in the coral Acropora millepora.
To investigate the light-dependent signaling pathways activated by these coral opsins.
To determine the spectral sensitivities of characterized acropsins.

Main Methods:

Gene identification and sequencing of opsins from Acropora millepora.
Heterologous expression of acropsins in cultured cells.
Measurement of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and intracellular calcium (Ca2+) changes in response to light.
Heterologous action spectroscopy to estimate spectral sensitivity curves.

Main Results:

Six opsin genes (acropsins 1-6) were identified, including three novel ones (acropsins 4-6).
Acropsins 1 and 6 activated Gs-type G protein signaling, leading to cAMP increases, with peak sensitivities around 472 nm and 476 nm, respectively.
Acropsin 4 activated Ca2+ signaling, while Acropsin 2's function was elucidated through a chimera mutant, showing a peak sensitivity around 471 nm.
Results demonstrate Acropora coral opsins couple to both cyclic nucleotide and Ca2+ signaling pathways.

Conclusions:

Acropora millepora possesses multiple opsins with diverse functional properties.
These opsins mediate distinct light-dependent cellular responses, coupling to both cAMP and Ca2+ signaling cascades.
This study provides fundamental insights into the molecular mechanisms of light perception in corals.