Coral mucus rapidly induces chemokinesis and genome-wide transcriptional shifts toward early pathogenesis in a bacterial coral pathogen.

Gao, C; Garren, M; Penn, K; Fernandez, VI; Seymour, JR; Thompson, JR; Raina, J-B; Stocker, R

Coral mucus rapidly induces chemokinesis and genome-wide transcriptional shifts toward early pathogenesis in a bacterial coral pathogen.

Gao, C Garren, M Penn, K Fernandez, VI Seymour, JR Thompson, JR Raina, J-B Stocker, R

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Publisher:: SPRINGERNATURE
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: The ISME journal, 2021
Issue Date:: 2021-06-24

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Gao, C
dc.contributor.author	Garren, M
dc.contributor.author	Penn, K
dc.contributor.author	Fernandez, VI
dc.contributor.author	Seymour, JR
dc.contributor.author	Thompson, JR
dc.contributor.author	Raina, J-B
dc.contributor.author	Stocker, R
dc.date.accessioned	2021-11-12T01:45:37Z
dc.date.available	2021-05-25
dc.date.available	2021-11-12T01:45:37Z
dc.date.issued	2021-06-24
dc.identifier.citation	The ISME journal, 2021
dc.identifier.issn	1751-7362
dc.identifier.issn	1751-7370
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/151520
dc.description.abstract	Elevated seawater temperatures have contributed to the rise of coral disease mediated by bacterial pathogens, such as the globally distributed Vibrio coralliilyticus, which utilizes coral mucus as a chemical cue to locate stressed corals. However, the physiological events in the pathogens that follow their entry into the coral host environment remain unknown. Here, we present simultaneous measurements of the behavioral and transcriptional responses of V. coralliilyticus BAA-450 incubated in coral mucus. Video microscopy revealed a strong and rapid chemokinetic behavioral response by the pathogen, characterized by a two-fold increase in average swimming speed within 6 min of coral mucus exposure. RNA sequencing showed that this bacterial behavior was accompanied by an equally rapid differential expression of 53% of the genes in the V. coralliilyticus genome. Specifically, transcript abundance 10 min after mucus exposure showed upregulation of genes involved in quorum sensing, biofilm formation, and nutrient metabolism, and downregulation of flagella synthesis and chemotaxis genes. After 60 min, we observed upregulation of genes associated with virulence, including zinc metalloproteases responsible for causing coral tissue damage and algal symbiont photoinactivation, and secretion systems that may export toxins. Together, our results suggest that V. coralliilyticus employs a suite of behavioral and transcriptional responses to rapidly shift into a distinct infection mode within minutes of exposure to the coral microenvironment.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	SPRINGERNATURE
dc.relation.ispartof	The ISME journal
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1038/s41396-021-01024-7
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in [The ISME journal, 2021]. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-021-01024-7]”
dc.subject	05 Environmental Sciences, 06 Biological Sciences, 10 Technology
dc.subject.classification	Microbiology
dc.title	Coral mucus rapidly induces chemokinesis and genome-wide transcriptional shifts toward early pathogenesis in a bacterial coral pathogen.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.location.activity	England
utslib.for	05 Environmental Sciences
utslib.for	06 Biological Sciences
utslib.for	10 Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - C3 - Climate Change Cluster
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2021-11-12T01:45:36Z
pubs.publication-status	Published

Abstract:

Elevated seawater temperatures have contributed to the rise of coral disease mediated by bacterial pathogens, such as the globally distributed Vibrio coralliilyticus, which utilizes coral mucus as a chemical cue to locate stressed corals. However, the physiological events in the pathogens that follow their entry into the coral host environment remain unknown. Here, we present simultaneous measurements of the behavioral and transcriptional responses of V. coralliilyticus BAA-450 incubated in coral mucus. Video microscopy revealed a strong and rapid chemokinetic behavioral response by the pathogen, characterized by a two-fold increase in average swimming speed within 6 min of coral mucus exposure. RNA sequencing showed that this bacterial behavior was accompanied by an equally rapid differential expression of 53% of the genes in the V. coralliilyticus genome. Specifically, transcript abundance 10 min after mucus exposure showed upregulation of genes involved in quorum sensing, biofilm formation, and nutrient metabolism, and downregulation of flagella synthesis and chemotaxis genes. After 60 min, we observed upregulation of genes associated with virulence, including zinc metalloproteases responsible for causing coral tissue damage and algal symbiont photoinactivation, and secretion systems that may export toxins. Together, our results suggest that V. coralliilyticus employs a suite of behavioral and transcriptional responses to rapidly shift into a distinct infection mode within minutes of exposure to the coral microenvironment.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/151520