Abundant betaines in giant clams (Tridacnidae) and western Pacific reef corals, including study of coral betaine acclimatization

Abstract

A large literature documents that betaines play significant roles in protecting photosynthesis in the face of multiple stresses, including heat and photon stresses, in terrestrial plants and free-living algae. Betaines therefore can be expected to defend against photosystem stresses (e.g. photoinhibition and bleaching) in reef-building corals and tridacnid clams (both symbiotic with algae) in addition to functioning as osmolytes employed in osmotic stress defense. Nonetheless, the presence of betaines has just started to be studied in corals and has never before been investigated in tridacnids. The present research demonstrates the following. (1) Betaines, especially aminovaleric acid betaine and glycine betaine (GlyB), are abundant metabolites in all 4 major tissues of 5 tridacnid species studied. (2) Pacific corals have at least 9 betaines rather than only 1 as previously reported. (3) In regards to concentrations of betaines in Pacific corals, GlyB and proline betaine (ProB) typically dominate. Taxa differ in betaine profiles, however, including that Acropora spp. are exceptionally low in total betaines and Porites spp. have (in addition to GlyB and ProB) relatively high concentrations of alanine betaine, hydroxyproline betaine, and taurine betaine. (4) Genus-specific betaine profiles in corals may well be consistent across the Pacific basin. (5) During a year of laboratory acclimatization, coral species studied declined in bulk skeletal density and underwent both increases and decreases in betaine concentrations.

Transcriptomic analysis reveals protein homeostasis breakdown in the coral Acropora millepora during hypo-saline stress

“…Marine invertebrates adjust their osmotic concentration not only by inorganic ion fluxes, but also via organic osmolytes such as taurine or betaines. Glycine betaine is thought to be an important osmolyte in corals, constituting > 90% of the organic solutes measured in Fungia, Pocillopora, Montipora and Tubastrea [18, 64]. Increased transcription of genes involved in glycine betaine catabolism was observed in the present study, implying that degradation of this compound occurred during hypo-osmotic stress (Fig.…”

Kelimpahan Invertebrata di Pulau Sempu sebagai Indeks Bioindikator, Ekonomis Penting Konsumsi, dan Komoditas Koleksi Akuarium

“…Kima memiliki alga simbion yang disebut sebagai Zooxanthellae. Alga simbion ini tersebar pada jaringan khusus yang berada pada mulut cangkang kima, yang memberikan warna pada mulut cangkang kima dan dapat dilihat ketika posisi cangkang terbuka [53] [54]. Kima termasuk Invertebrata yang dilindungi dikarenakan populasiya yang semakin menurun [55].…”

In situ testing of candidate odorant cues in coral-reef fish: a new method with tests of dimethylsulfoniopropionate and betaines

“…Two chemical classes of potential odorantsoften studied together because of their similarities in chemical structure (Rhodes and Hanson, 1993) are the tertiary sulfonium compounds (e.g., dimethylsulfoniopropionate, DMSP) and quaternary ammonium compounds (e.g., glycine betaine). As part of our recent research program to enhance knowledge of these compounds in coral-reef animals (Hill et al, 1995;Hill et al, 2004;Hill et al, 2010;Frade et al, 2016;Hill et al, 2017;Hill, 2022), we wanted to survey the potential roles of these compounds as water-borne odorants affecting the behavior of reef fish swimming among coral structures in the benthic coral-reef community. Inspired by the study of , we therefore designed the present study in which we have released the compounds into a coral-reef community and monitored responses of all observable fish species.…”

“…Regarding betaines, in this paper, we use contemporary chemical terminology (Hill, 2022), in which, for example, "glycine betaine" or "trimethylglycine" is the correct name for the compound long called simply "betaine." Betaines have recently been demonstrated to be abundant metabolites in the tissues of both Caribbean (Hill et al, 2010) and Indo-Pacific (Yancey et al, 2010;Hill et al, 2017;Hill, 2022) corals. Both DMSP and betaines are abundant also in tridacnid (giant) clams, which are important and often numerous members of Indo-Pacific coral reef communities (Hill et al, 2004;Hill et al, 2017).…”