PARENT SESSION
Poster Session 4: Marine Ecology
Monday, August 8, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM, Exhibit Hall 220 A-E, Level 2, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Stress protein evaluation on Diploria labyrinthiformis symbionts in response to changes in temperature and UV radiation.
Ortiz-Rosa, Suhey*,1, Parrila-Hernandez, Deborah 1, 1 University of Puerto Rico at, Humacao, Puerto Rico
ABSTRACT- Changes in temperature, salinity, UV light and bacterial infections among others are some factors that can induce coral stress (bleaching). Solar radiation stress, specifically the UV light, is considered one of the main parameters inducing bleaching. The UV light involves photochemical process related with thermal impact on the zooxanthellae (Fitt et al., 2000). The stress proteins founded in the zooxanthellae, improve thermotolerance and are induced by solar radiation exposure and other factors that also provoke the proteins production (Heckathorn et al., 1999). Small changes on the sea temperature can result in a thermal impact and induction of molecular response of stress proteins. Most of the works inducing stress proteins has been done under laboratory conditions. This research project is an attempt to manipulate corals and induced the stress under natural conditions. The objectives include detection and quantification of stress proteins in response to temperature changes and UV light; on corals in shallow and deep water with lexan and saran materials. Also, evaluate coral bleaching in response to different condition and compare these corals with the control coral; correlated UV absorbency, radiance and stress proteins; and evaluate the used methodology for stress protein extraction and detection. To detect the heat shock proteins (hsp 70) we used inmunodetection and inmunoblotting techniques with ELISA hsp 70, Stressgen, Co. Kit and SDS- PAGE using specific antibodies for cnidarians. Preliminary results include experimental data to create zooxanthellae monoculture, to compare with in situ data. Expected results include a positive correlation between hsp concentration vs. absorbance, or an increase in UV and PAR light. The most important aspect of this project is to detect a physiological recovery mechanism in corals affected by environmental changes.
Key words: coral stress, hsp, stress proteins