The presence of multiple phenoloxidases in Caribbean reef-building corals - PubMed

The presence of multiple phenoloxidases in Caribbean reef-building corals

Laura D Mydlarz et al. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol. 2011 Aug.

Abstract

The melanin-synthesis pathways, phenoloxidase (PO) and laccases, are staple components of invertebrate immunity and have been shown to be vital in disease resistance. The importance of this pathway in immunity is a consequence of the release of oxygen radicals with cytotoxic effects and the production of insoluble melanin, which aids in the encapsulation of pathogens and parasites. Recently, melanization has been demonstrated as a critical immune response in several coral systems, although the biochemical components have not been thoroughly investigated. Coral diseases are posing a serious threat to coral reef survival, necessitating a full understanding of resistance mechanisms. In this study, we take a comparative approach to probe potential pathway components of melanin-synthesis in seven species from four different families of healthy Caribbean reef-building corals. Using different quinone substrates, we tested for the activity of the POs catecholase and cresolase, as well as laccase activity in each coral species. Since many invertebrate POs demonstrate some dependence on cations such as copper, calcium and magnesium, we treated the coral extracts with the chelators EDTA and EGTA to test the reliance of coral catecholase on these cations. The activity of the antioxidants peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase was also tested in each coral and correlated to PO activity. All corals had demonstrable catecholase, cresolase and laccase activities, but only catecholase and cresolase activities varied significantly among species. Catecholase activity in each coral species was reduced by treatment with EDTA and EGTA, although some coral species were less affected than the others. Overall, these data show remarkable heterogeneity among the seven coral species of boulder-like reef building Caribbean coral. These differences may originate from the level of investment of each coral species into immunity and may explain disease ecology on the reef.

Similar articles

• Levels of immunity parameters underpin bleaching and disease susceptibility of reef corals.

  Palmer CV, Bythell JC, Willis BL. Palmer CV, et al. FASEB J. 2010 Jun;24(6):1935-46. doi: 10.1096/fj.09-152447. Epub 2010 Feb 2. FASEB J. 2010. PMID: 20124432

• A comparative study of phenoloxidase activity in diseased and bleached colonies of the coral Acropora millepora.

  Palmer CV, Bythell JC, Willis BL. Palmer CV, et al. Dev Comp Immunol. 2011 Oct;35(10):1098-101. doi: 10.1016/j.dci.2011.04.001. Epub 2011 Apr 19. Dev Comp Immunol. 2011. PMID: 21527282

• Patterns of coral ecological immunology: variation in the responses of Caribbean corals to elevated temperature and a pathogen elicitor.

  Palmer CV, McGinty ES, Cummings DJ, Smith SM, Bartels E, Mydlarz LD. Palmer CV, et al. J Exp Biol. 2011 Dec 15;214(Pt 24):4240-9. doi: 10.1242/jeb.061267. J Exp Biol. 2011. PMID: 22116768

• Status and progress in coral reef disease research.

  Weil E, Smith G, Gil-Agudelo DL. Weil E, et al. Dis Aquat Organ. 2006 Mar 23;69(1):1-7. doi: 10.3354/dao069001. Dis Aquat Organ. 2006. PMID: 16703761 Review.

• Conservation genetics and the resilience of reef-building corals.

  van Oppen MJ, Gates RD. van Oppen MJ, et al. Mol Ecol. 2006 Nov;15(13):3863-83. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.03026.x. Mol Ecol. 2006. PMID: 17054489 Review.

Cited by

• Characterization of trade-offs between immunity and reproduction in the coral species Astrangia poculata.

  Villafranca N, Changsut I, Diaz de Villegas S, Womack H, Fuess LE. Villafranca N, et al. PeerJ. 2023 Dec 4;11:e16586. doi: 10.7717/peerj.16586. eCollection 2023. PeerJ. 2023. PMID: 38077420 Free PMC article.

• Myriapod haemocyanin: the first three-dimensional reconstruction of Scolopendra subspinipes and preliminary structural analysis of S. viridicornis.

  Riciluca KCT, Borges AC, Mello JFR, de Oliveira UC, Serdan DC, Florez-Ariza A, Chaparro E, Nishiyama MY -Jr, Cassago A, Junqueira-de-Azevedo ILM, van Heel M, Silva PI Jr, Portugal RV. Riciluca KCT, et al. Open Biol. 2020 Apr;10(4):190258. doi: 10.1098/rsob.190258. Epub 2020 Apr 1. Open Biol. 2020. PMID: 32228398 Free PMC article.

• Enzyme activity demonstrates multiple pathways of innate immunity in Indo-Pacific anthozoans.

  Palmer CV, Bythell JC, Willis BL. Palmer CV, et al. Proc Biol Sci. 2012 Sep 22;279(1743):3879-87. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2011.2487. Epub 2012 Jul 18. Proc Biol Sci. 2012. PMID: 22810430 Free PMC article.

• Functional Characterization of Hexacorallia Phagocytic Cells.

  Snyder GA, Eliachar S, Connelly MT, Talice S, Hadad U, Gershoni-Yahalom O, Browne WE, Palmer CV, Rosental B, Traylor-Knowles N. Snyder GA, et al. Front Immunol. 2021 Jul 26;12:662803. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.662803. eCollection 2021. Front Immunol. 2021. PMID: 34381444 Free PMC article.

• Local dynamics of a white syndrome outbreak and changes in the microbial community associated with colonies of the scleractinian brain coral Pseudodiploria strigosa.

  Thome PE, Rivera-Ortega J, Rodríguez-Villalobos JC, Cerqueda-García D, Guzmán-Urieta EO, García-Maldonado JQ, Carabantes N, Jordán-Dahlgren E. Thome PE, et al. PeerJ. 2021 Feb 2;9:e10695. doi: 10.7717/peerj.10695. eCollection 2021. PeerJ. 2021. PMID: 33604172 Free PMC article.

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances