Short Communication Comparative Proteomics of Symbiotic and Aposymbiotic Juvenile Soft Corals O. Barneah,1 Y. Benayahu,1 V. M. Weis2 1Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel 2Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA Received 17 October 2004 / Accepted 4 April 2005 / Published online 22 July 2005 Abstract the entire coral reef ecosystem (Trench, 1993). Most cnidarian hosts acquire their algal symbionts from The symbiotic association between corals and the environment (known as horizontal transmis- photosynthetic unicellular algae is of great impor- sion) at an early developmental stage such as pla- tance in coral reef ecosystems. The study of symbi- nula or primary polyp (Trench, 1987). The initiation otic relationships is multidisciplinary and involves of a symbiotic relationship is often accompanied by research in phylogeny, physiology, biochemistry, morphologic, physiologic, biochemical, and molec- and ecology. An intriguing phase in each symbiotic ular changes in both partners (Taylor, 1973; McFall- relationship is its initiation, in which the partners Ngai and Ruby, 1991; Douglas, 1994; Montgomery interact for the first time. The examination of this and McFall-Ngai, 1994). In certain symbioses, such phase in coral–algae symbiosis from a molecular as plant-microbe endosymbioses, this biochemical point of view is still at an early stage. In the present and molecular interplay between the partners has study we used 2-dimensional polyacrylamide gel been extensively studied (e.g., Bestel-Corre et al., electrophoresis to compare patterns of proteins 2004). In others, however, such as cnidarian-algal synthesized in symbiotic and aposymbiotic primary symbioses, these interactions remain largely unde- polyps of the Red Sea soft coral Heteroxenia fuscescens. scribed. Although numerous studies have focused This is the first work to search for symbiosis- on the breakdown of the symbiotic association, specific proteins during the natural onset of symbi- namely, bleaching (e.g., Brown, 1997; Lesser, 1997; osis in early host ontogeny. The protein profiles Hoegh-Guldberg, 1999; Toller et al., 2001; Brown et reveal changes in the host soft coral proteome al., 2002; Diaz-Pulido and McCook, 2002; Franklin through development, but surprisingly virtually no et al., 2004), examination of the initiation of the changes in the host proteome as a function of symbiotic relationship between corals and symbiot- symbiotic state. ic algae from a molecular point of view is still at an early stage (Weis and Levine, 1996; Kuo et al., 2004). Keywords: zooxanthellae — symbiosis-related In choosing a system to investigate the initial stages proteins — 2D-PAGE — symbiosis — soft corals of coral–algal symbiosis, the best strategy is to study an association with horizontal transmission, in which there are both aposymbiotic and symbiotic Introduction early host ontogenetic stages. To date all studies that have examined symbio- Symbiotic interactions are widespread in marine sis-specific genes and expressed proteins have been and terrestrial environments and include a great on adult sea anemones. The temperate sea anemone diversity of partners. One of the most conspicuous Anthopleura elegantissima occurs naturally in both the symbioses in the marine environment is that symbiotic and aposymbiotic state and has been used between cnidarian hosts, such as stony corals, soft for the identification of symbiosis-related proteins corals, and anemones, and their dinoflagellate pho- (Weis and Levine, 1996; Weis and Reynolds, 1999; totrophic symbionts Symbiodinium spp. This symbio- Reynolds et al., 2000). Similarly the tropical sea sis forms the trophic and structural foundation of anemone Aiptasia pulchella, which can be grown in a symbiotic state, or rendered aposymbiotic following Correspondence to: O. Barneah; E-mail: [email protected] treatment with 3-(3,4-dichloro-Phenyl)-1,1-dimeth- DOI: 10.1007/s10126-004-5120-8 & Volume 8, 11–16 (2006) & * Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2005 11 12 O. BARNEAH ET AL.: SYMBIOTIC AND APOSYMBIOTIC SOFT CORALS yl-urea (DCMU) or prolonged incubation in dark- from an adult colony (see Yacobovitch et al., 2003). ness, has been used recently in two studies aimed Polyps were inspected under a light microscope to at the characterization of symbiosis-related genes verify symbiotic state. Aposymbiotic and symbiotic (Chen et al., 2004; Kuo et al., 2004). primary polyps were frozen in liquid nitrogen at In this study we compared patterns of proteins different time intervals after infection (3 days, 1, 2, synthesized in symbiotic and aposymbiotic primary 3, 4, and 6 weeks). To process animals for freezing, polyps of the soft coral Heteroxenia fuscescens.We used polyps were detached from the plastic containers 2-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using a glass pipette fitted with a syringe needle, (2D PAGE) and silver stain, which is considered washed in 0.22 mm FSW, transferred to microfuge the gold standard in the biotechnology industry for tubes (50 polyps per tube), placed in liquid nitrogen, detection of minor proteins (Nishihara and Cham- and stored at _80-C prior to further analysis. Polyp pion, 2002). Silver staining can result in high sen- age was calculated from the day of planula release. sitivity, with as little as 0.5 ng of protein detected A total of 3031 primary polyps were raised, belong- (Nishihara and Champion, 2002); however, the lin- ing to 6 different mother colonies. In addition, sam- ear dynamic range of this technique is reported to be ples containing 50 planulae and 2 to 3 polyps from less than that of other protein detection techniques several mature coral colonies were frozen. (Smales et al., 2003). This is the first work to search for symbiosis-specific proteins during the natural Protein Extraction from Animal Tissue. Thawed onset of symbiosis in early host ontogeny. H. fus- samples were homogenized at 4-C in a glass tissue cescens is a common zooxanthellate soft coral occur- grinder in 100 mlofextractionbuffer(EB:40mM ring on the reefs of the northern Red Sea (Benayahu, Tris, 10 mM EDTA, pH 7.4) with a protease inhibitor 1985). It is hermaphroditic and broods planulae mix (Sigma). The homogenate was transferred to a (Benayahu, 1991) that are released from the parent microfuge tube, and the grinder was washed with an nearly year-round (Ben-David-Zaslow et al., 1999). additional 50 ml of EB. Extracts were centrifuged for Planulae lack zooxanthellae, and algal acquisition 12 minutes at 12000 g at 4-C. The supernatant fluid, occurs at an early primary polyp stage (Yacobovitch containing the soluble fraction of coral proteins, was et al., 2003). Populations of primary polyps of iden- removed, and protein concentration was determined tical age can be maintained in both the symbiotic spectrophotometrically using a Coomassie assay and the aposymbiotic states for up to 2 months (Pierce). It is important to note that algal cells were (Yacobovitch et al., 2003), and there are no differ- removed unbroken during centrifugation. ences in the timing and sequence of morphogenetic events during metamorphosis between symbiotic 2D-PAGE. The Multiphor II flatbed system and aposymbiotic primary polyps in the laboratory (Amersham, Pharmacia) was used according to the (Yacobovitch et al., 2003). Therefore, H. fuscescens manufacturer’s instructions. Immobiline Dry Strip provides an ideal system for the study of protein and IEG gels (nonlinear pH gradient of 3–10, 18 cm) were gene expression during the onset of symbiosis. used to resolve proteins in the first dimension. The strips were first soaked overnight in rehydration so- lution (8 M urea, 2% ampholytes, 0.5% Triton-X, Materials and Methods dithiothreitol [DTT], and a few grains of bromo- Maintenance of Animals. Planulae from Heteroxenia phenol blue) containing 40 mg of protein. The first fuscescens were collected in Eilat (Red Sea) following dimension was run at 20-C for 19.5 hours (0.01 hour the methodology described in Yacobovitch et al. at 500 V, 5 hours of gradient to 3500 V, followed by (2003). Planulae released from each adult colony (a 14.5 hours at 3500 V). Isoelectric focusing gels not batch) were counted and divided into groups of 50 immediately used for the second dimension were planulae. Each group was placed in a 50-ml plastic frozen at _80-C immediately prior to the second- container with 0.45 mm of filtered seawater (FSW). dimension run, IEF gels were incubated successively Containers were placed in an incubator (Yihdern, in 2 equilibration solutions for 10 minutes each. The LE509) set to the temperature of ambient seawater solutions contained (I) 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer (pH during the same time period in Eilat. The light reg- 6.8) containing 6 M urea, 30% glycerol, 1% sodium imen was 12 hours of light (30 mmol quanta ms and dodecylsulfate (SDS), and 0.8% DTT; and (II) 50 mM 12 hours of dark. Half of the water in each container Tris-HCl buffer (pH 6.8) containing 6 M urea, 30% was changed every other day. Planulae underwent glycerol, 1% SDS, and 7.2% Iodoacetamide and a metamorphosis after 10 to 20 days. Soon after meta- few grains of bromophenol blue. Precast gels Excel- morphosis occurred, one half of the batch was in- Gel SDS 12% to 14% gradient, 245 Â 180 Â 0.5 mm, fected with freshly isolated zooxanthellae obtained were used to resolve proteins in the second dimen- O. BARNEAH ET AL.: SYMBIOTIC AND APOSYMBIOTIC SOFT CORALS 13 Table 1. Tallied Results from 2D-PAGE of Soluble protein contaminated host protein extracts. If this Proteins from Heteroxenia fuscescens were true, then algal proteins would mistakenly be Age of Days or identified as symbiosis-enhanced host proteins. To polyps Year weeks after No. of avoid this a protein extract from freshly isolated al- (weeks) collected infection samples gae was resolved using 2D-PAGE and compared with Planulae 2000 – 1 all the symbiotic host protein gels.