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ISME J

Title:		A bacterial pathogen uses dimethylsulfoniopropionate as a cue to target heat-stressed corals
Author(s):		Garren M; Son K; Raina JB; Rusconi R; Menolascina F; Shapiro OH; Tout J; Bourne DG; Seymour JR; Stocker R;
Address:		"Ralph M Parsons Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. 1] Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB3, Townsville, QLD, Australia [2] AIMS@JCU, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia. 1] Ralph M Parsons Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA [2] Department of Plant Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. Plant Functional Biology & Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB3, Townsville, QLD, Australia"
Journal Title:		ISME J
Year:		2014
Volume:		20131212
Issue:		5
Page Number:		999 - 1007
DOI:		10.1038/ismej.2013.210
ISSN/ISBN:		1751-7370 (Electronic) 1751-7362 (Print) 1751-7362 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Diseases are an emerging threat to ocean ecosystems. Coral reefs, in particular, are experiencing a worldwide decline because of disease and bleaching, which have been exacerbated by rising seawater temperatures. Yet, the ecological mechanisms behind most coral diseases remain unidentified. Here, we demonstrate that a coral pathogen, Vibrio coralliilyticus, uses chemotaxis and chemokinesis to target the mucus of its coral host, Pocillopora damicornis. A primary driver of this response is the host metabolite dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), a key element in the global sulfur cycle and a potent foraging cue throughout the marine food web. Coral mucus is rich in DMSP, and we found that DMSP alone elicits chemotactic responses of comparable intensity to whole mucus. Furthermore, in heat-stressed coral fragments, DMSP concentrations increased fivefold and the pathogen's chemotactic response was correspondingly enhanced. Intriguingly, despite being a rich source of carbon and sulfur, DMSP is not metabolized by the pathogen, suggesting that it is used purely as an infochemical for host location. These results reveal a new role for DMSP in coral disease, demonstrate the importance of chemical signaling and swimming behavior in the recruitment of pathogens to corals and highlight the impact of increased seawater temperatures on disease pathways"
Keywords:		Animals Anthozoa/*microbiology *Chemotaxis Coral Reefs Hot Temperature Seawater/microbiology Sulfonium Compounds/*metabolism Sulfur/metabolism Vibrio/*physiology;
Notes:		"MedlineGarren, Melissa Son, Kwangmin Raina, Jean-Baptiste Rusconi, Roberto Menolascina, Filippo Shapiro, Orr H Tout, Jessica Bourne, David G Seymour, Justin R Stocker, Roman eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. England 2013/12/18 ISME J. 2014 May; 8(5):999-1007. doi: 10.1038/ismej.2013.210. Epub 2013 Dec 12"