In the present study, the membrane lipid composition of corals from a region with tidally induced upwelling was investigated. The coral community is subject to strong temperature oscillations yet flourishes as a result of adaptation. Glycerophosphocholine profiling of the dominant pocilloporid coral, Seriatopora caliendrum, was performed using a validated method. The coral inhabiting the upwelling region shows a definite shift in the ratio of lipid molecular species, covering several subclasses. Mainly, the coral possesses a higher percentage of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated plasmanylcholines and a lower percentage of polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholines. Higher levels of lyso–plasmanylcholines containing saturated or monounsaturated fatty acid chains were also revealed in coral tissue at the distal portion of the branch. Based on the physicochemical properties of these lipids, we proposed mechanisms for handling cellular membrane perturbations, such as tension, induced by thermal oscillation to determine how coral cells are able to spontaneously maintain their physiological functions, in both molecular and physical terms. Interestingly, the biochemical and biophysical properties of these lipids also have beneficial effects on the resistance, maintenance, and growth of the corals. The results of this study suggest that lipid metabolic adjustment is a major factor in the adaption of S. caliendrum in upwelling regions.
National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Pingtung, Taiwan;Institute of Marine Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Dong Hwa University, Pingtung, Taiwan;Department of Sport, Health, and Leisure, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan;National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Pingtung, Taiwan;Institute of Marine Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Dong Hwa University, Pingtung, Taiwan;Institute of Marine Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Dong Hwa University, Pingtung, Taiwan;Institute of Marine Biotechnology, National Dong Hwa University, Pingtung, Taiwan;Institute of Environmental Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan;Central of General Education, National Kaohsiung Marine University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan;National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Pingtung, Taiwan;Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources and Asia-Pacific Ocean Research Center, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Recommended Citation:
Chuan-Ho Tang,Lee-Shing Fang,Tung-Yung Fan,et al. Cellular Membrane Accommodation to Thermal Oscillations in the Coral Seriatopora caliendrum[J]. PLOS ONE,2014-01-01,9(8)