Expression pattern of potential heat stress genes under warm and cold episodes in scleractinian coral (Dipsastraea matthaii) in the hottest sea, Persian Gulf

Shallow coral reefs face significant threats due to anthropogenic ocean warming, which occasionally surpasses their thermal tolerance limits. However, specific hard coral species exhibit thermal resilience and can rapidly adapt to anomalous thermal stress events by modulating the expression of their heat stress-related genes. In a comparative analysis of microarray data, we identified candidate genes associated with temperature stress. Subsequently, to validate these findings, we selected four genes—namely, Cell Division Cycle ۱۶ (CDC۱۶), Ubiquitin C (UBC), Heat Shock Protein ۹۰ Beta Family Member ۱ (HSP۹۰B۱), and Histone acetyltransferase p۳۰۰ (EP۳۰۰)—as responsive to temperature stress in the scleractinian coral Dipsastera matthaii, collected from the Persian Gulf. Real-time PCR analysis during warm and cold periods confirmed significant changes in UBC, HSP۹۰B۱, and EP۳۰۰ expression in response to heat stress. Notably, EP۳۰۰ enhancement resulted from transcription activation via binding to transcription factors. A crucial aspect of this response involved the upregulation of molecular chaperones, including HSP۹۰B۱, due to the activation of heat shock factor ۱ (HSF۱). Additionally, HSF۱ played a role in activating UBC, which facilitates the removal of critically digested proteins through the ubiquitin proteolysis system. These findings contribute to identifying potential candidate genes that could serve as valuable biomarkers for the selection of heat-tolerant genotypes.

کلیدواژه ها:

Thermal stress ، Gene expression ، Reef-building coral ، Thermally resilient coral ، Persian Gulf