Species and population specific gene expression in blood transcriptomes of marine turtles

Eleanor J. Sterling, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History
Jeffrey A. Seminoff, Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
George H. Balazs, Golden Honu Services of Oceania
Tomoharu Eguchi, Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Eugenia Naro-Maciel, New York University
Scott R. Benson, Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Nadia B. Fernandez, Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts
Shreya M. Banerjee, Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts
Jamie Adkins Stoll, Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts
Marc R. Rice, Hawai’i Preparatory Academy
Richard E. Connon, Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology, University of California, Davis
Kathryn McFadden, School of Agricultural, Forest, and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University
Margaret M. Lamont, United States Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Tammy M. Summers, Rainbow Connection Research
Peter H. Dutton, Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Heather S. Harris, Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Camryn D. Allen, Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
T. Todd Jones, Marine Turtle Biology and Assessment Program, Protected Species Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
James Benge, Section of Molecular Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego
Summer Martin, Marine Turtle Biology and Assessment Program, Protected Species Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Lauren Kenyon, Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts
Rebecca L. Lewison, Department of Biology, San Diego State University
Jennifer M. Lynch, Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Hawai’i Pacific University
Jessy R. Hapdei, Jessy’s Tag Services
Lisa M. Komoroske, Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts

Description

Abstract Background Transcriptomic data has demonstrated utility to advance the study of physiological diversity and organisms’ responses to environmental stressors. However, a lack of genomic resources and challenges associated with collecting high-quality RNA can limit its application for many wild populations. Minimally invasive blood sampling combined with de novo transcriptomic approaches has great potential to alleviate these barriers. Here, we advance these goals for marine turtles by generating high quality de novo blood transcriptome assemblies to characterize functional diversity and compare global transcriptional profiles between tissues, species, and foraging aggregations. Results We generated high quality blood transcriptome assemblies for hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) turtles. The functional diversity in assembled blood transcriptomes was comparable to those from more traditionally sampled tissues. A total of 31.3% of orthogroups identified were present in all four species, representing a core set of conserved genes expressed in blood and shared across marine turtle species. We observed strong species-specific expression of these genes, as well as distinct transcriptomic profiles between green turtle foraging aggregations that inhabit areas of greater or lesser anthropogenic disturbance. Conclusions Obtaining global gene expression data through non-lethal, minimally invasive sampling can greatly expand the applications of RNA-sequencing in protected long-lived species such as marine turtles. The distinct differences in gene expression signatures between species and foraging aggregations provide insight into the functional genomics underlying the diversity in this ancient vertebrate lineage. The transcriptomic resources generated here can be used in further studies examining the evolutionary ecology and anthropogenic impacts on marine turtles.

Publication Date

1-1-2021

Publisher

figshare Academic Research System

DOI

10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5424152.v1

Document Type

Data Set

Identifier

10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5424152.v1

Related Content

10.1186/s12864-021-07656-5

Embargo Date

1-1-2021

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