Publications and Research

Authors

Debashish Bhattacharya, Rutgers University - New Brunswick/Piscataway
Shobhit Agrawal, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Manuel Aranda, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Sebastian Baumgarten, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Mahdi Belcaid, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology
Jeana L. Drake, Rutgers University - New Brunswick/Piscataway
Douglas Erwin, Smithsonian Institution
Sylvian Foret, James Cook University
Ruth D. Gates, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology
David F. Gruber, CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeFollow
Bishoy Kamel, The Pennsylvania State University
Michael P. Lesser, University of New Hampshire
Oren Levy, Bar-Ilan University
Yi Jin Liew, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Matthew MacManes, University of New Hampshire
Tali Mass, Rutgers University - New Brunswick/Piscataway
Monica Medina, The Pennsylvania State University
Shaadi Mehr, National Museum of Natural History
Eli Meyer, Oregon State University
Dana C. Price, Rutgers University - New Brunswick/Piscataway
Hollie M. Putnam, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology
Huan Qiu, Rutgers University - New Brunswick/Piscataway
Chuya Shinzato, Okinawa University
Eiichi Shoguchi, Okinawa University
Alexander J. Stokes, Chaminade University
Sylvie Tambutté, Centre Scientifique de Monaco
Dan Tchernov, University of Haifa
Christian R. Voolstra, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Nicole Wagner, Rutgers University - New Brunswick/Piscataway
Charles W. Walker, University of New Hampshire
Andreas PM Weber, Heinrich-Heine- Universitat
Virginia Weis, Oregon State University
Ehud Zelzion, Rutgers University - New Brunswick/Piscataway
Didier Zoccola, Centre Scientifique de Monaco
Paul G. Falkowski, Rutgers University - New Brunswick/Piscataway

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-24-2016

Abstract

Transcriptome and genome data from twenty stony coral species and a selection of reference bilaterians were studied to elucidate coral evolutionary history. We identified genes that encode the proteins responsible for the precipitation and aggregation of the aragonite skeleton on which the organisms live, and revealed a network of environmental sensors that coordinate responses of the host animals to temperature, light, and pH. Furthermore, we describe a variety of stress-related pathways, including apoptotic pathways that allow the host animals to detoxify reactive oxygen and nitrogen species that are generated by their intracellular photosynthetic symbionts, and determine the fate of corals under environmental stress. Some of these genes arose through horizontal gene transfer and comprise at least 0.2% of the animal gene inventory. Our analysis elucidates the evolutionary strategies that have allowed symbiotic corals to adapt and thrive for hundreds of millions of years.

Comments

This article was originally published in eLife, available at DOI: th10.7554/eLife.13288.001.

This article was distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0)

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