Coral Engineering
This research attempts to create a substitute for coral in distress due to rising sea temperatures, and developing resilient coral types.
The rising sea temperatures caused by climate change is a matter of great importance to this research. One of the consequences of this increase is the bleaching of corals, which has been observed around the world in recent years and is raising much concern (the bleaching points to oxidative stress that might lead to death). Prof. Oren Levy and doctoral candidate Evyatar Weizmann of Bar-Ilan’s Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences have discovered a method of developing coral resistant to climate change. For their research, the researchers used the sea anemone as a model since they belong to the same biological taxonomy yet are easier to grow in lab conditions.
The coral reef contains a symbiosis between the coral and unicellular algae that live inside it, creating photosynthesis and providing the coral with nutrition, and are therefore vital for its existence. The researchers sought to characterize the cellular changes in the host organism’s tissue, whether it be coral or the sea anemone, occurring in reaction to heat, in the presence of the joint Symbiodinium algae and without it.
As the temperature of the water increases, the algae go into an extreme state, causing oxidative stress in the host tissue. When the algae are not there, other organisms such as germs become dominant in the body of the host. In this situation, the host’s immune system fights the germs, but the immune response might lead to the destruction of tissue and even its death, eventually culminating in extinction.
Using genetic sequencing of the sea anemone’s DNA control centers, responsible for immune responses, the researchers identified areas that might be used as future genetic engineering goals in developing more resilient species of coral. As of now, the application of genetic engineering in nature almost borders on science fiction, but the initial steps in that direction have already been taken and this might be the next one.