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The impact of CRISPR on how corals adjust to warming oceans

Introduction
The marine invertebrates found in various parts of the sea known as coral reefs are biodiversity hotspots
of significant ecological, economic and aesthetic value. Many communities depend on coral reefs for
food and tourism. However, unfortunately coral reefs are continuing to deteriorate especially in the
Great Barrier Reef which is adding to the global decline of at least 50% of the Earth’s reefs in the last few
decades. This global decline is mainly due to climate change and other evolving factors. Climate change
leads to warming oceans and acidification which then causes thermal stress on coral reefs and
contributes to coral bleaching. Ocean heat waves have the ability to completely wipe out entire marine
ecosystems due to depending on healthy, thriving corals. Fortunately, a powerful tool in genetic
engineering has been enlisted to save the biodiverse marine ecosystem. This tool is the DNA editing
technology known as CRISPR. The CRISPR genome editing system can help scientists understand and
possibly develop and improve how corals respond to the environmental stress of climate change.

Background Biology
Coral reefs are constructed of a hard exterior skeleton of calcium carbonate which are commonly found
at shallow depths in tropical waters. This specific architecture is possible due to the mutualistic
relationship between coral and multiple species of unicellular algae organisms which inhabit individual
coral cells. The importance of coral reefs in the marine environment is due to their ability to protect
coastlines from the harmful effects of surface waves and tropical storms as well as providing habitats for
many marine species. However due to climate change, coral reefs are being increasingly wiped out and
killing many marine organisms with it. Phillip Cleves, a researcher at Carnegie’s Department of
Embryology in America explained “Increasing temperatures can cause coral to lose algae, a phenomenon
called bleaching due to the coral taking on a white colour in the absence of the algae’s pigment. Without
the nutrients provided by photosynthesis, the coral can die of starvation”.1 This statement is supported
by Figure 1 which displays the comparison between excess carbon being absorbed by the ocean which
causes the coral to bleach and the original coral without as much carbon impact.

Figure 1: Excess carbon absorbed by the ocean causes coral reefs to become bleached wastelands.
(NASA Global Climate Change, 2008)

1
ScienceDaily. 2021. CRISPR helps researchers uncover how corals adjust to warming oceans. [online]
Available at: <https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201221134146.htm> [Accessed 5 May
2021].
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SHE Concept: Development
Coral reefs are constantly being researched due to the negative impact of climate change. Many
scientists have developed different solutions to reduce the environmental stress on coral reefs but one
main technology has achieved significant results. This technology is the CRISPR/Cas 9 gene editing
system which is a genetic engineering technique that allows genomes of living organisms to be modified.
CRISPR helped researchers uncover how corals adjust to warming temperatures. Research was
conducted on this development on a worldwide scale using a variety of complex scientific theories. In
2018, Phillip Cleves headed the first demonstration of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing on coral. His team of
researchers identified a protein by the name of Heat Shock Factor 1 (HS1) which activates multiple genes
related to the response of heat stress and tested it on an anemone which has similar symbiotic
relationships as coral. After gathering results, he collated them with his team’s findings to conduct
another trial to identify a gene responsible for regulating the coral’s response to heat stress.

In the second demonstration, a team of researchers from Stanford University and University of Texas in
the United States teamed up with colleagues from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in
Townsville, Queensland to successfully develop the CRISPR editing tool to create modifications in the
genes of a species of coral.2 The mutated genes of coral, Acropora millepora, was encoded with the HS1
protein to exhibit the importance of coping with a changing environment. This development has allowed
scientists to create new methods and further development into the topic of genetic engineering on coral
breeding. So far, the plan now is to reveal the functions of coral genes to further explore the breeding
process of coral and eventually in the near future to release genetically modified coral onto the reef. This
will provide further evidence into which natural varieties of genetically edited coral will be selected and
bred to have the best chance of survival in the climate change struggle.

Impact on Society
This continuous development of creating genetically modified coral organisms to place in the sea in
place of bleached coral is creating a positive impact on society. Coral reefs provide an important
ecosystem for marine organisms as well as provide a crucial source of income for millions of people
worldwide. This new source of job opportunities will continue to increase with the development of
CRISPR therefore allowing more researchers and scientists to collaborate from all areas of the world and
creating an ultimate solution of bleaching occurring in natural populations of corals. CRISPR has been
immensely successful due to its scientific accuracy and relatively low production costs. This genome
editing system could potentially change everything involving genes and aid in coral restoration. It has the
ability to resurrect species of coral which can then be placed into the marine environment. This can then
increase levels of tourism which then support local economies through businesses based near reef
ecosystems.

Conclusion
Carbon emissions from human activities continue to increase and excess carbon is absorbed by the
ocean which threatens marine ecosystems especially coral reefs, one of the most diverse ecosystems on
Earth into bleached desolation. This destruction of reefs is a major issue occurring globally across marine
environments. However, due to the revolutionary Nobel Prize winning technology, the CRISPR/Cas9
genome editing system, scientists have been able to understand and create new solutions as to how
corals respond to the environmental stress of climate change. The multiple tests conducted, reached a
prediction as to how significant gene editing is when creating mutations of coral. Although no certain
result has been discovered currently, it is currently being deployed to guide conservation for coral reef

2
Cosmos Magazine. 2021. Coral researchers test gene-editing - Cosmos Magazine. [online] Available at:
<https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/coral-researchers-test-gene-editing/> [Accessed 5 May 2021].
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ecosystems and in the future, scientists are expecting to release genetically mutated coral into the ocean
and create new habitats for marine organisms.
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Image

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