Green fluorescent protein-like pigments optimise the internal light environment in symbiotic reef-building corals
Pigments homologous to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) have been proposed to fine-tune the internal light microclimate of corals, facilitating photoacclimation of photosynthetic coral symbionts (Symbiodiniaceae) to life in different reef habitats and environmental conditions. However, direct mea...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2022-07-01
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| Series: | eLife |
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| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/73521 |
| _version_ | 1811203463218987008 |
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| author | Elena Bollati Niclas H Lyndby Cecilia D'Angelo Michael Kühl Jörg Wiedenmann Daniel Wangpraseurt |
| author_facet | Elena Bollati Niclas H Lyndby Cecilia D'Angelo Michael Kühl Jörg Wiedenmann Daniel Wangpraseurt |
| author_sort | Elena Bollati |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pigments homologous to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) have been proposed to fine-tune the internal light microclimate of corals, facilitating photoacclimation of photosynthetic coral symbionts (Symbiodiniaceae) to life in different reef habitats and environmental conditions. However, direct measurements of the in vivo light conditions inside the coral tissue supporting this conclusion are lacking. Here, we quantified the intra-tissue spectral light environment of corals expressing GFP-like proteins from widely different light regimes. We focus on: (1) photoconvertible red fluorescent proteins (pcRFPs), thought to enhance photosynthesis in mesophotic habitats via wavelength conversion, and (2) chromoproteins (CPs), which provide photoprotection to the symbionts in shallow water via light absorption. Optical microsensor measurements indicated that both pigment groups strongly alter the coral intra-tissue light environment. Estimates derived from light spectra measured in pcRFP-containing corals showed that fluorescence emission can contribute to >50% of orange-red light available to the photosynthetic symbionts at mesophotic depths. We further show that upregulation of pink CPs in shallow-water corals during bleaching leads to a reduction of orange light by 10–20% compared to low-CP tissue. Thus, screening by CPs has an important role in mitigating the light-enhancing effect of coral tissue scattering and skeletal reflection during bleaching. Our results provide the first experimental quantification of the importance of GFP-like proteins in fine-tuning the light microclimate of corals during photoacclimation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T02:56:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7aa9c31fa6444ca1a1e8d4c6459887d9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T02:56:10Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-7aa9c31fa6444ca1a1e8d4c6459887d92022-12-22T03:50:48ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2022-07-011110.7554/eLife.73521Green fluorescent protein-like pigments optimise the internal light environment in symbiotic reef-building coralsElena Bollati0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3536-4587Niclas H Lyndby1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0533-9663Cecilia D'Angelo2Michael Kühl3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1792-4790Jörg Wiedenmann4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2128-2943Daniel Wangpraseurt5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4834-8981Coral Reef Laboratory, School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom; Marine Biology Section, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Helsingør, Denmark; Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, SingaporeMarine Biology Section, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Helsingør, Denmark; Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, SwitzerlandCoral Reef Laboratory, School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, United KingdomMarine Biology Section, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Helsingør, Denmark; Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, AustraliaCoral Reef Laboratory, School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, United KingdomDepartment of NanoEngineering, UC San Diego, San Diego, United States; Marine Biological Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, San Diego, United States; Bioinspired Photonics Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomPigments homologous to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) have been proposed to fine-tune the internal light microclimate of corals, facilitating photoacclimation of photosynthetic coral symbionts (Symbiodiniaceae) to life in different reef habitats and environmental conditions. However, direct measurements of the in vivo light conditions inside the coral tissue supporting this conclusion are lacking. Here, we quantified the intra-tissue spectral light environment of corals expressing GFP-like proteins from widely different light regimes. We focus on: (1) photoconvertible red fluorescent proteins (pcRFPs), thought to enhance photosynthesis in mesophotic habitats via wavelength conversion, and (2) chromoproteins (CPs), which provide photoprotection to the symbionts in shallow water via light absorption. Optical microsensor measurements indicated that both pigment groups strongly alter the coral intra-tissue light environment. Estimates derived from light spectra measured in pcRFP-containing corals showed that fluorescence emission can contribute to >50% of orange-red light available to the photosynthetic symbionts at mesophotic depths. We further show that upregulation of pink CPs in shallow-water corals during bleaching leads to a reduction of orange light by 10–20% compared to low-CP tissue. Thus, screening by CPs has an important role in mitigating the light-enhancing effect of coral tissue scattering and skeletal reflection during bleaching. Our results provide the first experimental quantification of the importance of GFP-like proteins in fine-tuning the light microclimate of corals during photoacclimation.https://elifesciences.org/articles/73521symbiosisphotobiologyGFPopticsfluorescencephotoconversion |
| spellingShingle | Elena Bollati Niclas H Lyndby Cecilia D'Angelo Michael Kühl Jörg Wiedenmann Daniel Wangpraseurt Green fluorescent protein-like pigments optimise the internal light environment in symbiotic reef-building corals eLife symbiosis photobiology GFP optics fluorescence photoconversion |
| title | Green fluorescent protein-like pigments optimise the internal light environment in symbiotic reef-building corals |
| title_full | Green fluorescent protein-like pigments optimise the internal light environment in symbiotic reef-building corals |
| title_fullStr | Green fluorescent protein-like pigments optimise the internal light environment in symbiotic reef-building corals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Green fluorescent protein-like pigments optimise the internal light environment in symbiotic reef-building corals |
| title_short | Green fluorescent protein-like pigments optimise the internal light environment in symbiotic reef-building corals |
| title_sort | green fluorescent protein like pigments optimise the internal light environment in symbiotic reef building corals |
| topic | symbiosis photobiology GFP optics fluorescence photoconversion |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/73521 |
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