Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Caroline Palmer
Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.
Increasing evidence of links between climate change, anthropogenic stress and coral disease underscores the importance of understanding the mechanisms by which reef-building corals resist infection and recover from injury. Cellular inflammation and melanin-producing signalling pathway are two mechanisms employed by invertebrates to remove foreign organisms such as pathogens, but they have not been recorded previously in scleractinian corals. This study demonstrates the presence of the phenoloxidase (PO) activating melanin pathway in two species of coral, Acropora millepora and a massive species of Porites, which both develop local pigmentation in response to interactions with a variety of organisms. L-DOPA (3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-L-alanine) substrate-based enzyme activation assays demonstrated PO activity in healthy tissues of both species and upregulation in pigmented tissues of A. millepora. Histological staining conclusively identified the presence of melanin in Porites tissues. These results demonstrate that the PO pathway is active in both coral species. Moreover, the upregulation of PO activity in areas of non-normal pigmentation in A. millepora and increased melanin production in pigmented Porites tissues suggest the presence of a generalized defence response to localized stress. Interspecific differences in the usage of pathways involved in innate immunity may underlie the comparative success of massive Porites sp. as long-lived stress tolerators. © 2008 The Royal Society.
Author(s): Palmer CV, Mydlarz LD, Willis BL
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Year: 2008
Volume: 275
Issue: 1652
Pages: 2687-2693
ISSN (print): 0962-8452
ISSN (electronic): 1471-2954
Publisher: The Royal Society Publishing
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2008.0335
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.0335
PubMed id: 18700208
Altmetrics provided by Altmetric
