[Coral-List] DNA methylation in corals

[Manuel ARANDA]

Dear fellow coral-listers,

I would like to draw your attention to a recent study we published in
collaboration with the Voolstra lab and our colleagues from the CSM and the
University of Amsterdam.

Briefly, we sequenced the DNA methylomes of the Red Sea coral *Stylophora
pistillata* subjected to different long-term pCO2 treatments. Our analyses
suggest that gene body methylation in corals is involved in the regulation
of transcription by inhibiting aberrant initiation of transcription along
the gene body. More importantly, when corals were grown under acidic
conditions, we found changes in DNA methylation patterns correlated with
the phenotype of larger cells and polyps. This growth response results in
larger calyx sizes and, hence, a more porous skeleton. At the same time,
this allows the coral to maintain linear extension rates under conditions
of reduced calcification rates.

These results suggest that DNA methylation might not only be involved in
transcriptional homeostasis in corals, but also contribute to the
phenotypic plasticity and acclimatisation potential of the organism.

The publication is Open Access and can be found here:

http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/6/eaar8028

Cheers,

Manuel


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Manuel Aranda Lastra
Assistant Professor
Coral Symbiomics Lab
Red Sea Research Center
Building 2, 2216, 4700 KAUST
Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Mobile: +966 544700661
https://coralsymbiomics.kaust.edu.sa

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