Symbiodinium genomes reveal adaptive evolution of functions related to coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis
Type
ArticleAuthors
Liu, HuanleStephens, Timothy G.
González-Pech, Raúl A.
Beltran, Victor H.
Lapeyre, Bruno
Bongaerts, Pim
Cooke, Ira
Aranda, Manuel

Bourne, David G.
Forêt, Sylvain
Miller, David J.
van Oppen, Madeleine J. H.
Voolstra, Christian R.

Ragan, Mark A.
Chan, Cheong Xin
KAUST Department
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) DivisionMarine Science Program
Red Sea Research Center (RSRC)
Date
2018-07-17Online Publication Date
2018-07-17Print Publication Date
2018-12Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/630757
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Symbiosis between dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium and reef-building corals forms the trophic foundation of the world’s coral reef ecosystems. Here we present the first draft genome of Symbiodinium goreaui (Clade C, type C1: 1.03 Gbp), one of the most ubiquitous endosymbionts associated with corals, and an improved draft genome of Symbiodinium kawagutii (Clade F, strain CS-156: 1.05 Gbp) to further elucidate genomic signatures of this symbiosis. Comparative analysis of four available Symbiodinium genomes against other dinoflagellate genomes led to the identification of 2460 nuclear gene families (containing 5% of Symbiodinium genes) that show evidence of positive selection, including genes involved in photosynthesis, transmembrane ion transport, synthesis and modification of amino acids and glycoproteins, and stress response. Further, we identify extensive sets of genes for meiosis and response to light stress. These draft genomes provide a foundational resource for advancing our understanding of Symbiodinium biology and the coral-algal symbiosis.Citation
Liu H, Stephens TG, González-Pech RA, Beltran VH, Lapeyre B, et al. (2018) Symbiodinium genomes reveal adaptive evolution of functions related to coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis. Communications Biology 1. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s42003-018-0098-3.Sponsors
We thank Todd LaJeunesse for information on the original isolation of S. kawagutii. H.L. was supported by an Australian Research Council grant (DP150101875) awarded to M.A.R. and C.X.C. T.G.S. is supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship. R.A.G.-P. is supported by an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship and a University of Queensland Centenary Scholarship. This project was supported by the computational resources of the Australian National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) National Facility systems through the NCI Merit Allocation Scheme (Project d85) awarded to M.A.R. and C.X.C. The data used in this project were funded by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s Resilient Coral Reefs Successfully Adapting to Climate Change research and development program in collaboration with the Australian Government, Bioplatforms Australia through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), Rio Tinto and a family foundation. The authors also acknowledge the work done by the Reef Future Genomics (ReFuGe) 2020 Consortium. Access to data generated by the consortium can be accessed via reefgenomics.org. In memory of S.F., our friend and colleague who is sorely missed.Publisher
Springer NatureJournal
Communications Biologyae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1038/s42003-018-0098-3