ABSTRACT
Coral reefs around the world are exposed to thermal stress from climate change, disrupting the delicate symbiosis between the coral host and its symbionts. Cryopreservation is an indispensable tool for the preservation of species, as well as the establishment of a gene bank. However, the development of cryopreservation techniques for application to symbiotic algae is limited, in addition to the scarceness of related studies on the molecular level impacts post-thawing. Hence, it is essential to set up a suitable freezing protocol for coral symbionts, as well as to analyze its cryo-injury at the molecular level. The objective of this study was to develop a suitable protocol for the coral symbiont Breviolum subjected to two-step freezing. The thawed Breviolum were then cultured for 3, 7, 14, and 28 days before they were analyzed by Western blot for protein expression, light-harvesting protein (LHP), and red fluorescent protein (RFP) and tested by adenosine triphosphate bioassay for cell viability. The results showed the highest cell viability for thawed Breviolum that was treated with 2 M propylene glycol (PG) and 2 M methanol (MeOH) and equilibrated with both cryoprotectants for 30 min and 20 min. Both treatment groups demonstrated a significant increase in cell population after 28 days of culture post-thawing, especially for the MeOH treatment group, whose growth rate was twice of the PG treatment group. Regarding protein expression, the total amounts of each type of protein were significantly affected by cryopreservation. After 28 days of culture, the protein expression for the MeOH treatment group showed no significant difference to that of the control group, whereas the protein expression for the PG treatment group showed a significant difference. Breviolum that were frozen with MeOH recovered faster upon thawing than those frozen with PG. LHP was positively and RFP was negatively correlated with Symbiodiniaceae viability and so could serve as health-informing biomarkers. This work represents the first time to document it in Symbiodiniaceae, and this study established a suitable protocol for the cryopreservation of Breviolum and further refined the current understanding of the impact of low temperature on its protein expression. By gaining further understanding of the use of cryopreservation as a way to conserve Symbiodiniaceae, we hope to make an effort in the remediation and conservation of the coral reef ecosystem and provide additional methods to rescue coral reefs.
