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Quantification Of Coral Heat Shock Proteins From Individual Coral Polyps, Erin Bromage, Lawrence Carpenter, Stephen Kaattari, Mark Patterson

VIMS Articles

The induction and regulation of heat shock proteins (hsps) is a significant defense mechanism that can preserve metabolic function and foster recovery from short-term stress events. Present coral sampling methodologies that involve hsp analysis often require the harvesting of large samples of live coral colonies that may already be stressed or in poor health. In the present study, 3 novel protocols were developed to: (1) extract single coral polyps, minimizing colony trauma; (2) purify protein from single coral polyps (approximately 12 mm); and (3) develop a more sensitive protein quantification method. The preliminary testing of 5 separate protein preparation methods …