0000000000759238
AUTHOR
Mohammed S. A. Ammar
One Rational Strategy for Restoration of Coral Reefs: Application of Molecular Biological Tools to Select Sites for Rehabilitation by Asexual Recruits
Experiments for reef rehabilitation were performed at two selected sites near Hurghada (Red Sea, Egypt) the reef close to the Marine Biological Station (with a high sedimentation rate from landfilling) and El-Fanadir Reef (a clear water site). Since only little is known about the influence of the physical environmental conditions, novel molecular biological approaches have been introduced to assess the metabolic status of corals. In order to avoid possible interference with symbionts the molecular studies have been performed with the octocoral Dendronephthya klunzingeri; this species does not contain zooxanthellae. The metabolic enzymes fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and the succinat-dehydroge…
Induction of heat-shock (stress) protein gene expression by selected natural and anthropogenic disturbances in the octocoral Dendronephthya klunzingeri
Previously it was found that the expression of selected heat-shock proteins is upregulated in corals after exposure to elevated temperature. We published that HSPs are suitable markers in sponges to monitor the degree of environmental stress on these animals. In the present study the heat-shock proteins (HSPs) with a molecular weight of 90 kDa have been selected to prove their potential usefulness as biomarkers under controlled laboratory conditions and in the field. The studies have been performed with the octocoral Dendronephthya klunzingeri from which the cDNA coding for HSP90 was cloned first. The expression of the HSP90 gene is upregulated by thermal stress; treatment of the animals fo…
Molecular Mechanism of Spicule Formation in the Demosponge Suberites domuncula: Silicatein-Collagen-Myotrophin
In living organisms four major groups of biominerals exist: (1) iron compounds, which are restricted primarily to Prokaryota; (2) calcium phosphates, found in Metazoa; (3) calcium carbonates, used by Prokaryota, Protozoa, Plantae, Fungi and Metazoa and (4) silica (opal) present in sponges and diatoms (reviewed in: Bengtson 1994; Baeuerlein 2000). It is surprising that the occurrence of silica as a major skeletal element is restricted to some Protozoa and to sponges (Porifera). The element silicon (Si) contributes to 28% of the earth crust and is - after oxygen - the second most abundant element on earth (Windholz 1983).