Meeting Abstract

22.5  Monday, Jan. 4  Quantitative genetics and genomics of reef-building coral Acropora millepora MEYER, E; WANG, S; AGYAMOVA, G; MATZ, M*; University of Texas at Austin matz@mail.utexas.edu

Next-generation sequencing and genomic analysis are increasing the rate of biological discovery, but have often been limited to a handful of model systems with sequenced genomes. Their application has lagged behind for the many (potentially more interesting) organisms that exemplify important biological questions but lack completed genome sequences. Reef-building corals provide a prime example. The recent degradation of coral reefs raises important questions of genetic control of thermal tolerance and adaptation to elevated temperatures, but the genomic resources required to address these questions have been unavailable. To fill this void, and develop a framework for the application of genomic approaches to other emerging models, we are applying high-throughput sequencing methods to the branching coral Acropora millepora. We used 454 sequencing to assemble and annotate the transcriptome of a larval stage, identifying about 11,000 genes that include the complete sets of genes for many metabolic pathways. The availability of these cDNA sequences has enabled measurement of gene expression by qPCR. Polymorphisms detected in these sequences have enabled the construction of a high-resolution genetic map for this species, the first reported for any coral. The transcriptome sequence has also served as a reference for quantitative transcriptome profiling using SOLiD sequencing. We have used this approach to profile gene expression in coral larvae exposed to thermal stress and settlement cues, indentifying many novel candidate genes for these processes. These studies demonstrate the utility of applying genomic approaches to enable rapid biological discovery in non-model systems.