Cellular Responses in Sea Fan Corals: Granular Amoebocytes React to Pathogen and Climate Stressors

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0001811
• Publication Date: 2008-03-25T20:00:42Z
• Authors: Laura D. Mydlarz; Sally F. Holthouse; Esther C. Peters; C. Drew Harvell
• Keywords: Anthozoa; Coral bleaching; Pocillopora damicornis

Background Climate warming is causing environmental change making both marine and terrestrial organisms, even humans, more susceptible to emerging diseases. Coral reefs are among the most impacted ecosystems by climate stress, immunity of corals, ancient metazoans, poorly known. Although coral mortality due infectious diseases temperature-related stress on rise, immune effector mechanisms that contribute resistance corals such events remain elusive. In Caribbean sea fan (Anthozoa, Alcyonacea: Gorgoniidae), cell-based defenses granular acidophilic amoebocytes, which known be involved in wound repair histocompatibility. Methodology/Principal Findings We demonstrate for first time these cells organismal response pathogenic temperature stress. fans with naturally occurring infections experimental inoculations fungal pathogen Aspergillus sydowii, an inflammatory response, characterized a massive increase was evident near infections. Melanosomes were detected amoebocytes adjacent protective melanin bands infected fans; neither present uninfected fans. concurrent prophenoloxidase activity tissues dense amoebocytes. Sea sampled field during 2005 Bleaching Event (a once-in-hundred-year event) responded heat systemic amoebocyte densities also increased elevated lab experiments. Conclusions/Significance The observed responses indicate use cellular combat infection ability mount may contributing factor allowed survival stressful event.