Assessing Coral Stress Responses Using Microarray

Abstract

This study focused on the identification of functional genes in coral to assess the molecular level responses to environmental stresses like as seawater temperature change and hypoxia and marine acidification. Major interests are the marine environmental changes and marine organisms in relation to molecular level stress responses and various environmental stresses. Climate change and rising seawater temperature are placing spatially divergent stresses on the worlds coral ecosystem through increasing ocean surface temperatures and ocean acidification. To assess the coral health condition as well as coral stress responses, we purposed to identify molecular level stress responses using gene expression change as well as functional genes responding to external stress like increased seawater temperature in this study. We extracted RNA from soft coral, Scleronephthya gracillimum and carried out RNA sequencing using NGS method. S. gracilimum microarray was made by unigenes after NGS assembly and blast search. Approximately 38000 genes were uploaded in S.gracillimum microarray. We carried out temperature stress experiment using soft coral then extracted RNA for microarray experiment. In this research, we investigated transcriptional responses of S. gracillimum against heat shock. As the results, we found several functional groups of genes from coral responding to high seawater temperature. Approximately 200 genes including environmental changes and marine organisms in relation to molecular level stress responses and various environmental stresses. Climate change and rising seawater temperature are placing spatially divergent stresses on the worlds coral ecosystem through increasing ocean surface temperatures and ocean acidification. To assess the coral health condition as well as coral stress responses, we purposed to identify molecular level stress responses using gene expression change as well as functional genes responding to external stress like increased seawater temperature in this study. We extracted RNA from soft coral, Scleronephthya gracillimum and carried out RNA sequencing using NGS method. S. gracilimum microarray was made by unigenes after NGS assembly and blast search. Approximately 38000 genes were uploaded in S.gracillimum microarray. We carried out temperature stress experiment using soft coral then extracted RNA for microarray experiment. In this research, we investigated transcriptional responses of S. gracillimum against heat shock. As the results, we found several functional groups of genes from coral responding to high seawater temperature. Approximately 200 genes including