Variation in antioxidant gene expression in the scleractinian coral Acropora millepora under laboratory thermal stress

Abstract

The effects of climate change over the last few decades have pushed the majority of reef-building corals close to their upper thermal limit. Upon exposure to thermal stress, the intracellular formation of harmful oxygen intermediates can lead to the disruption of the obligate symbiosis between the coral host and their dinoflagellate endosymbionts (zooxanthellae), a process known as coral bleaching. Applications of molecular techniques to cnidarian research have recently enhanced our understanding of the magnitude of corals' transcriptional response to various stressors. In the present study, we developed a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay to assess expression levels of ..