Telomere dysfunction is associated with dark-induced bleaching in the reef coral Stylophora pistillata.
Mol Ecol
; 31(23): 6087-6099, 2022 12.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34587336
ABSTRACT
Telomere DNA length is a complex trait controlled by both multiple loci and environmental factors. A growing number of studies are focusing on the impact of stress and stress accumulation on telomere length and the link with survival and fitness in ecological contexts. Here, we investigated the telomere changes occurring in a symbiotic coral, Stylophora pistillata, that has experienced continuous darkness over 6 months. This stress condition led to the loss of its symbionts in a similar manner to that observed during large-scale bleaching events due to climate changes and anthropogenic activities, threatening reef ecosystems worldwide. We found that continuous darkness was associated with telomere length shortening. This result, together with a phylogenetic analysis of the telomere coral proteins and a transcriptome survey of the continuous darkness condition, paves the way for future studies on the role of telomeres in the coral stress response and the importance of environmentally induced telomere shortening in endangered coral species.
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Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Antozoários
Tipo de estudo:
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Mol Ecol
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article