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The Effect of Bleaching on the Terpene Chemistry of Plexaurella fusifera: Evidence that Zooxanthellae Are Not Responsible for Sesquiterpene Production

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Abstract

The close association between marine invertebrates, zooxanthellae, and numerous bacteria gives rise to the question of the identity of the actual producer of secondary metabolites. In fall of 2005, a widespread bleaching event occurred throughout the Caribbean Sea in which some colonies of the gorgonian coral Plexaurella fusifera bleached. This study investigated whether zooxanthellae play a key role in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolite terpenes from P. fusifera. The extent of bleaching was examined by chlorophyll A analysis and also by zooxanthellae isolation and cell counting. The bleached and unbleached colonies were found to contain similar concentrations of eremophilene as the major terpene, and both exhibited similar biosynthetic capability as evaluated by the transformation of [C1-3H]-farnesyl diphosphate to the sesquiterpenes. Differences in bacterial communities between the bleached and unbleached colonies were analyzed using molecular techniques, and preliminary indications are that unbleached and bleached corals are dominated by low G + C firmicutes and gammaproteobacteria, respectively. It therefore appears that terpene biosynthesis can proceed independently of the zooxanthellae in P. fusifera, suggesting that the coral or a bacterium is the biosynthetic source.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge funding for a Florida Center of Excellence in Biomedical and Marine Biotechnology, support from the National Science Foundation (UCB-0119011), the Canada Research Chair program, and the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program (U-91618401-0; JFR). We would also like to thank R. Ritson-Williams (Smithsonian Marine Station) for performing spicule analysis, S. Gunasekera (Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute) for optical rotation measurement, and the crew of the Easy Goin’ for assistance in the collection of specimens.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry & Center of Excellence in Biomedical and Marine Biotechnology, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA

    Jamie L. Frenz-Ross, Julie J. Enticknap & Russell G. Kerr

  2. Department of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, C1A-4P3

    Russell G. Kerr

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  1. Jamie L. Frenz-Ross
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  2. Julie J. Enticknap
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  3. Russell G. Kerr
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Correspondence to Russell G. Kerr.

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Frenz-Ross, J.L., Enticknap, J.J. & Kerr, R.G. The Effect of Bleaching on the Terpene Chemistry of Plexaurella fusifera: Evidence that Zooxanthellae Are Not Responsible for Sesquiterpene Production. Mar Biotechnol 10, 572–578 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-008-9095-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-008-9095-8

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