BRC-BIO: Establishing Astrangia poculata as a study system to understand how multi-partner symbiotic interactions affect pathogen response in cnidarians

Texas State University - San Marcos, San Marcos TX

Investigators

Abstract

Many animals form complex associations with an assortment of microbial organisms have significant effects on host health. This project aims to understand how variability in host-microbe associations affects animal health, focusing specifically on corals. The project uses Astrangia, a non-threatened relative of endangered reef-building corals, as a model for understanding how coral-microbe interactions impact disease response. Tropical corals, and their associated coral reef ecosystems, are experiencing dramatic declines due to increasing disease prevalence. The results of the proposed research will advance understanding of how associations between corals and microbial organisms affect disease resistance. The knowledge gathered can be applied to help direct coral restoration efforts. Additionally, this project will provide training opportunities for the development of students at a Hispanic serving institution. A new summer research experience for students at Texas State University will be created, and linked with existing summer programs at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. Each summer a cohort of 4-5 undergraduate students will engage in project related research and reciprocal exchanges across the two institutions. The program will create a community of undergraduate researchers and provide support for their career development. The project will also support two graduate students per year and the career development of an early career researcher. This project is being cofunded by the BRC-BIO program and Biological Oceanography (GEO). Symbiotic associations are ubiquitous throughout nature and have significant implications for host fitness. Still, understanding of the extent of natural variation in these associations and the implications of this variation on host disease resistance is limited. This project leverages a facultatively symbiotic coral system (Astrangia poculata) to explore natural variation in multi-partner symbioses (host, photosymbiont, microbiome) and the effects of this variation on host response to pathogens. Specifically, the proposed project will 1) investigate natural variation in coral multi-partner associations across populations, focusing on variability in symbiont characteristics (microbiome composition; algal symbiont density, genetics, and gene expression) and effects of this variation on constitutive immunity; and 2) investigate whether this variation is linked to differences in response to pathogens and disease susceptibility. When examining natural variation, we will use integrative ‘omics techniques to elucidate how variability in each symbiotic partner affects the others. Then, we will use experimental pathogen challenges to determine whether observed variation in these associations influences pathogen response. We predict that significant variation will exist in symbiotic associations across sampled populations, and that this variation will have effects on pathogen response and ultimately disease susceptibility. The proposed project will serve as a significant contribution to the field of ecological immunology by advancing understanding of how multi-partner symbioses drive health and resilience in animal hosts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.