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The geochemical and biological study of corals
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Illuminating the dark depths inside coral
Monday 7th @ 1030-1050, Conference Room 4
Chichi Liu* , State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
Shuk Han Cheng, Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Senjie Lin, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
Presenter Email: liuchichi@xmu.edu.cn |
| The ability to observe in situ 3-D distribution and dynamics of the endosymbionts in corals is crucial for gaining mechanistic understanding on coral bleaching and reef degradation. Here we report the development of a tissue-clearing (TC) coupled light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) method for 3D imaging of the coral holobiont at single-cell resolution. Initial applications of the technique have returned unprecedented quantitative information of endosymbiont abundance and distribution within corals. With specific fluorescent probes or assays, the TC-LSFM method also reveals distribution and dynamics of physiological conditions such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, and hypoxia response in the coral holobiont. This tool will prove powerful for in situ and in-depth data acquisition to illuminate coral symbiosis and health conditions in the changing marine environment, providing fundamental information for coral reef conservation and restoration. |
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