Using Genetically Modified Organisms to Save the Corals? Opinions, Please!

[amirahj]

Hello,
I'm Amirah. I am a graduate student at Georgia State University working with a lab group who aims to solve the problems of coral bleaching. Our project as of now revolves around the idea of us genetically modifying the coral symbionts (zooxanthellae) in order to protect the coral from bleaching events.

To elaborate, we are working to introduce genes in to the symbiotic algae that would in some way convey protection to the corals against bleaching. The thoughts is that we would eventually colonize coral in reefs with these genetically altered algae to preserve the coral reefs.

However, we are aware that not everyone who wants to preserve corals is ok with the use and release of genetically modified organisms. We are hoping to use this forum as a way to get a feel for how the public views using this method as a way to prevent coral bleaching.

Do you like this idea?
Does it seem safe?
Is it scary?
Do you have any concerns or caveats?

Please help us by responding to this thread with answers to the above questions or by posting your own questions, comments, concerns.

We look forward to this discussion!

 

[amirahj]

@trizzino

 

[wake125122]

Do you like this idea? If it works ya
Does it seem safe? Don't know enough about it but I guess
Is it scary? Not really
Do you have any concerns or caveats? Not really

 

[amirahj]

Hello, @trizzino @HSon @urbanknight @Adam @Rainblood @ZapataInc @1mbrews8

Thank you for either donating coral to or showing an interest in our study on other threads. We agreed to update you on the study so, we will use Atl Reef Club to do that. We would really appreciate seeing your thoughts on this topic. Let us know what you think!

Thank you!

 

[amirahj]

Do you like this idea? If it works ya
Does it seem safe? Don't know enough about it but I guess
Is it scary? Not really
Do you have any concerns or caveats? Not really

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[jcook54]

Do you like this idea? Yes. Using science and tech to help protect our more vulnerable ecosystems is an goal that I can get behind.

Does it seem safe? I don't know enough about it but one the surface it sounds like a safe enough idea. GMO crops have saved millions from starvation and they've worked out pretty well.

Is it scary? No. I'm comfortable with GMO's being part of our modern society and a modified algae seems pretty tame when compared with some of the other GMO's that pop up in the news once in a while.

Do you have any concerns or caveats? Yes. Humanity has a history of trying to make specific ecosystems "better" only to have it end in a real mess. i.e. cane toads in Australia. This doesn't have a GMO component but it does illustrate the law of unintended consequences. In my head I'm thinking of a scenario where the GMO algae becomes so dominant that other naturally occurring algae get out-competed to a point where they're only found in our little glass boxes. I don't imagine this is a likely outcome but something along those lines is a concern that I have.

I'm really interested in this topic so thanks for asking our thoughts on the matter. What specifically is being modified? If it's something that makes the zooxanthellae more tolerant of poor tank maintenance practices, I'd like to volunteer my tank for testing. Kidding aside, it's an interesting topic and I look forward to learning more as the study progresses. I encourage everyone who reads this thread to take a minute or two and post your thoughts. It's not often that we're asked for feedback on a specific scientific proposal and more posts = more data.

 

[Rainblood]

I'll echo Justin's concerns about the long term effects on the natural environment and unintended consequences.

 

[urbanknight]

I like the idea. Mankind has progressed to our present day science by people conducting research, collecting analytical data and then acting on it. Any research has a possibility of going awry. However, we recognize that this is one of the ways we make progress. It is not scary because it is necessary if we hope to help save our planet. My concerns are voices in the form of questions:

1) What is the specific end results the GMO research hopes to attain? (2) Specifically, what part(s) of a corals anatomy does the research apply to? (3) Will resulting research information provide a basis for long term care for our coral eco-systems. (4) Will this research possibly provide answers to world wide RTN/STN of coral reefs?

 

[Chiara]

Do you like this idea? Yes. Using science and tech to help protect our more vulnerable ecosystems is an goal that I can get behind.

Does it seem safe? I don't know enough about it but one the surface it sounds like a safe enough idea. GMO crops have saved millions from starvation and they've worked out pretty well.

Is it scary? No. I'm comfortable with GMO's being part of our modern society and a modified algae seems pretty tame when compared with some of the other GMO's that pop up in the news once in a while.

Do you have any concerns or caveats? Yes. Humanity has a history of trying to make specific ecosystems "better" only to have it end in a real mess. i.e. cane toads in Australia. This doesn't have a GMO component but it does illustrate the law of unintended consequences. In my head I'm thinking of a scenario where the GMO algae becomes so dominant that other naturally occurring algae get out-competed to a point where they're only found in our little glass boxes. I don't imagine this is a likely outcome but something along those lines is a concern that I have.

I'm really interested in this topic so thanks for asking our thoughts on the matter. What specifically is being modified? If it's something that makes the zooxanthellae more tolerant of poor tank maintenance practices, I'd like to volunteer my tank for testing. Kidding aside, it's an interesting topic and I look forward to learning more as the study progresses. I encourage everyone who reads this thread to take a minute or two and post your thoughts. It's not often that we're asked for feedback on a specific scientific proposal and more posts = more data.

Hey! I'm another member of Amirah's lab. Thanks for the feedback!

So we're also concerned about the algae becoming "super algae" and are wondering if you have any suggestions for what we can do to prevent this. We've considered a "kill switch," which would essentially force cell death if the algae are exposed to a substance (or lack thereof). The problem with this is that the kill switch would be genetically engineered into the algae and could mutate as generations evolve, thus potentially removing the safe guard.

Another option is to make it so that the algae are unable to reproduce (which would be easy because we can't seem to keep them alive and well after transforming them lol). This would prevent their population from growing out of control, but then our solution of genetically modifying resistance genes into corals' symbionts would be a temporary one. We want the algae to reproduce and maintain their symbiotic relationship as the corals grow and reproduce, themselves.

The only other idea we've had is simply containing the population in a controlled setting. This would basically mean that we can't implement our solution into the real world. We would have to grow the corals and our modified algae in an isolated nursery, which would keep the corals alive but not the biodiversity that's supposed to come along with them.

We're still in the planning stages, but this is a major part of the project that needs to be seriously considered. Do you have any ideas?


We want to introduce bleaching resistance genes into the algae. So far, we're thinking of upregulating the heat shock factor gene, which controls heat shock protein and other chaperones that assist in protein folding and prevent damage from excessive heat stress.

 

[Chiara]

I like the idea. Mankind has progressed to our present day science by people conducting research, collecting analytical data and then acting on it. Any research has a possibility of going awry. However, we recognize that this is one of the ways we make progress. It is not scary because it is necessary if we hope to help save our planet. My concerns are voices in the form of questions:

1) What is the specific end results the GMO research hopes to attain? (2) Specifically, what part(s) of a corals anatomy does the research apply to? (3) Will resulting research information provide a basis for long term care for our coral eco-systems. (4) Will this research possibly provide answers to world wide RTN/STN of coral reefs?

1. The ultimate goal of our project is to introduce bleaching resistance genes into corals' symbiotic algae. We would then get the corals to uptake our modified algae and hopefully introduce this coral-GMO algae into the wild where they would thrive despite rising seawater temperatures.

2. We're not going to modify the corals. Instead, we're going to modify their algae. We're currently thinking of upregulating their heat shock factor gene, which regulates heat shock protein, dnaJ, and other protein chaperones that prevent damage from heat stress.

3. If we're able to safely introduce our modified organisms into the wild, then this should theoretically allow corals to continue living even as climate change persists. Other than actually switching the GMO with naturally occurring coral, I don't think this research will help in long term coral care. It's possible that we'll gain some insights into the causes of bleaching though. For example, let's say we introduce heat resistance genes and the corals still die, well that would tell us that rising seawater temperatures may not be the issue. We could then move our research efforts over towards ocean acidification or any of the other possibilities.

4. I'm not familiar with the terms RTN and STN. I just googled it and saw that this is tissue necrosis. Is this another term for coral bleaching? Because I didn't realize that the corals actual tissues were degenerating during bleaching. I thought it was the expulsion of their algal symbionts.

Thanks for the response

 

[urbanknight]

Chiara, Thank you for your detailed response. I'm excited for your research group. To know that you guys are looking to possibly provide research and information on coral bleaching is a great step in helping the sustainment of the coral reefs of the world. I would certainly hope that the first part of your research in introducing the coral GMO algae works. As pointed out, if it does not, it at least eliminates that as a cause/effect.

RTN occurs very quickly and progresses very rapidly once it begins. Commonly with RTN, an entire coral may shed all of its flesh within a 24 hour period, leaving you with nothing but a skeleton of your former coral. Once the coral has shed all of its tissue, there is no recourse for bringing it back to life.
STN is a process that usually takes days before all of the flesh is gone. This is the lesser of the two evils in that it gives the hobbyist time to assess the cause and address the situation. There is no guarantee for either of these that the coral can be saved, but as most reefers know, time can make all the difference in this hobby.

So, based on this information, in laymen's terms, coral bleaching to this hobbyist is the same as bleaching. Some of my more knowledgeable friends and hobbyist may want to add to this conversation!

 

[SaltwaterGardening]

This is exciting. I believe MASNA would be a good connection point if you haven’t already reached out to them. I joined to educate myself in this hobby and wonder how much past data applies to your research.

In general, I’m not concerned about GMO when it accomplishes the goal of higher yield or prevalence in a controlled location, but is sterile and produces no offspring. In a reef environment, I would be concerned how it might outcompete native zoox if reproducing sexually or asexually, but also how it passes through the food supply. Fish that eat those corals and subsequent zoox would then be eaten again and again and end up in the human food supply.

Next part would be the concern that a controlled reef environment will not likely be replicated in nature. As I understand, there have been huge improvements in feeding and the ability to maintain and grow coral varieties that were not possible in the past. There will be continued advancements as we move forward. Those micro systems in a home aquarium or even a large scale aquarium don’t represent nature, and each system is different than another. I don’t know how you would control that well enough to scale up and then feel confident enough to place into nature without guard rails to limit incidental release.

I would be curious if any research has focused on natural mutations of zoox in micro systems, to understand which varieties or variations are more effective or hardy than others. It might be like a varied bacteria colony, working in a delicate balance.

I’d be open to a group virtual call. Your team can present to us for practice and we can toss around concerns and considerations to focus your research on what most interests you.

 

[ActiveAngel]

Yup. I think these are fine approaches. Dr Luisa Marcelino is doing great research at Northwestern to develop a Bleaching Response Index. She is often busy, but it may be worth reaching out to her. Unfortunately, Ocean Visions conferences are all on hold. But if you see one on the calendar in the next year or two, I highly recommend it.

I think the concern with the general public and GMOs is simply a lack of knowledge. But I have no concerns.

Due to the rapid development of algae, I think a kill switch may be a fruitless effort. But that is just my opinion. I cannot imagine a situation in which you would require a kill switch that would occur rapidly enough that the switch would still be viable. But I’m not an expert on the genetics of such algae yet.

I wonder if you could use bacteria to help spread the genes to algae. It may be useful depending on the challenges faced down the road. But perhaps adding the genes directly to algae may still be the best approach. Regardless, designing the genes is more important than the delivery mechanism, so that’s a non-issue at the moment. It’s just interesting.

 

[ActiveAngel]

Haha... I sent that last response 4 hours ago, and look what arrived in my inbox in the last minute. Woohoo!

 

[lmm1967]

Scripps is one thing I miss from living near SD.

 

[amirahj]

Haha... I sent that last response 4 hours ago, and look what arrived in my inbox in the last minute. Woohoo!
View attachment 32746

thanks so much for showing us this!