Meeting Abstract

P2.46  Sunday, Jan. 5 15:30  Dissecting the function of coral fluorescent proteins through global gene expression profiling of coral larvae STRADER, M.E.*; MATZ, M.V.; the University of Texas at Austin; the University of Texas at Austin stradermarie@gmail.com

Despite their widespread use in biotechnology, the biological functions of coral GFP-like fluorescent proteins (FPs) are yet to be elucidated. Acropora millepora larvae exhibit fluorescence polymorphisms within full-sibling crosses enabling comparisons amongst individuals expressing varying levels of FPs. Behavioral differences between color morphs, such as differential responsiveness to settlement cue, suggest fluorescence phenotypes may be associated with the larval ability to sense and respond to the environment during settlement choice, a critical phase in the coral life cycle. To reveal the association between the expression level of a particular FP and known molecular pathways, we compared global gene expression profiles of three distinct larval fluorescence phenotypes (red, green and “mega-green”) after exposure to controlled light conditions (darkness, green and red light). We employed a weighted gene co-expression network analysis to identify groups of genes whose expression correlates with fluorescence phenotypes and/or response to light stimulus. Our results support the hypothesis that red FP in particular is involved in sensing external light stimuli, while the overall patterns of gene expression in response to light of different spectral composition elucidates key aspects of larval sensory ecology.