Ca2Coral SIGNED

Project "Ca2Coral" data sheet

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 Project objective

Although various aspects of biomineralisation in corals have been studied for decades, the basic mechanism of precipitation of the aragonite skeleton remains enigmatic. Two parallel lines of inquiry have emerged: geochemist models of calcification that are directly related to seawater carbonate chemistry at thermodynamic equilibrium. Here, the role of the organisms in the precipitation reaction is largely ignored. The second line is based on biological considerations of the biomineralisation process, which focuses on models of biophysical processes far from thermodynamic equilibrium that concentrate calcium ions, anions and proteins responsible for nucleation in specific compartments. Recently, I identified and cloned a group of highly acidic proteins derived the common stony coral, Stylophora pistillata. All of the cloned proteins precipitate aragonite in seawater at pH 8.2 and 7.6 in-vitro. However, it is not at all clear if the expression of these proteins in-vivo is sufficient for the formation of an aragonite skeleton at seawater pH values below ~7.8. Here using a combination of molecular, biophysical, genomic, and cell biological approaches, we proposed to test the core hypothesis that, unless wounded or otherwise having skeletal material exposed directly to seawater, stony zooxanthellate corals will continue to calcify at pH values projected for the CO2 emissions scenarios for 2100. Specifically, the objectives of Ca2Coral are to: 1) Use functional genomics to identify the key genes and proteins involved both in the organic matrix and skeleton formation in the adult holobiont and during its larval development. 2) Use a genetics approach to elucidate the roles of specific proteins in the biomineralisation process. 3) Use ultra-high resolution imaging and spectroscopic analysis at different pH levels to elucidate the biomineralisation pathways and mineral precursor in corals in the adult holobiont and during its larval development.

 Publications