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Molecular biomarkers and adaptation to environmental stress in moon jelly (Aurelia spp.)

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Abstract

We describe a strategy that identifies molecular biomarkers and links the study of abiotic stress to evolutionary history. By utilizing the moon jellyfish Aurelia spp. as a model, we identified genes differentially regulated in response to the chemical stressor tributyltin by means of complementary DNA subtraction analyses. Expression of 3 out of 25 identified candidate genes, one oxidative stress gene, one heat shock (hsp70) gene, and one GTP-binding gene, was quantified under laboratory conditions and in field tests using semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Differential expression patterns were found following exposure to tributyltin and temperature treatments. The findings suggest that the identified genes are involved in response to chemical as well as heat- induced stress and may serve as biomarkers for monitoring marine habitats. Gene regulatory patterns combined with phylogenetic inferences of the hsp70 gene support a possible role of ecologically driven divergence within the genus Aurelia. We show that added information on genetic variability can raise the predictive power of molecular biomarkers in studies of individual stress response.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Allen Collins for valuable comments during manuscript preparation. Sandra Giere assisted with hsp70 RT-PCR analyses. This research was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft (DFG Schi-277/10) and by a scholarship for W.S. from the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecology & Evolution, ITZ, TiHo Hannover, Bünteweg 17d, D-30559, Hannover, Germany

    Werner Schroth, Andrea Ender & Bernd Schierwater

  2. Fischer-Bosch-Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Auerbachstr. 112, D-70376, Stuttgart, Germany

    Werner Schroth

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  1. Werner Schroth
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Correspondence to Werner Schroth.

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Schroth, W., Ender, A. & Schierwater, B. Molecular biomarkers and adaptation to environmental stress in moon jelly (Aurelia spp.). Mar Biotechnol 7, 449–461 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-004-4095-9

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