Stem cell isolation and transplantation in Hexacorallia: Toward cell-therapy for corals (CoralStem)

Reef corals are the foundation of ecosystems that host much of the ocean’s biodiversity, making them a significant component of economies and communities around the world. They are under severe threat from anthropogenic stressors, particularly global warming. Some parts of the world’s oceans have already lost the majority of their corals.

Efforts to mitigate the damage are informed by research on understanding and transferring naturally-occurring resilient genotypes.

This has a direct parallel in medicine; cell- or gene-therapy, which is founded on an ability to isolate and then transplant progenitor/stem cells. This technology does not exist for any coral species.

In this research program we will develop robust tools for the isolation, characterization, and transplantation of coral progenitor cells. The tools will be species non-specific, and therefore widely applicable.

We will develop generalized strategies for isolating cell-type enriched cell populations, especially progenitor cells, in four species of anemones and stony corals. We will develop cell transplantation techniques for engraftment in non-model species. We will then characterize the engraftment potentials of candidate progenitor cell populations in these species.

This technology will have an impact on basic and applied research.

Because of the broad applicability, it will become a valuable tool for researchers seeking a more complete cell biology in non-classical invertebrate species.

Being able to isolate, manipulate, and replace progenitor cells in diverse species will assist in efforts to understand how the developmental programs that construct or regenerate an organism function and change during evolution.

Being able to transfer progenitor cells from a stress-resilient coral to a sensitive one will assist in understanding the mechanisms governing stress tolerance. With this research, and using the tools developed here, it may become possible to confer resilience in the wild.