Data from: Regulation of green fluorescent proteins by Sea Anemones (Anthopleura spp.) in response to light
Data files
Sep 14, 2024 version files 5.04 KB
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README.md
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Staatsetal_GFPinAnthopleura(AxanAsol).csv
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Abstract
Green Fluorescent Proteins (GFPs) are a family of proteins with a disjunct systematic distribution; their biological functions remain speculative for the most part. Here we report studies of 3 closely related species of green sea anemones (Anthopleura) that express GFPs throughout their ectoderm. Individuals of these species maintain facultative symbiosis with zooxanthellae in their endoderm and inhabit the rocky intertidal or shallow subtidal. Thus, they depend on exposure to light to maintain photosynthesis of their symbionts, and simultaneously need to manage stresses associated with this exposure. We present experimental evidence that these sea anemones regulate the amount of GFP in their bodies in response to the surrounding light environment: they increase or reduce GFP when exposed to brighter or dimmer light, respectively, yet they maintain some GFP while in darkness, for surprisingly long periods.
README: Data from: Regulation of green fluorescent proteins by Sea Anemones (Anthopleura spp.) in response to light
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.cc2fqz6f9
These data represent two distinct experiments. The first set, as described in our article, was a manipulation of the light environment (independent variable; intensity/lux) in which individuals of Anthopleura sola were kept, and then a subsequent quantification of green fluorescence (dependent variable; relative/arbitrary units). The second set, as described in our article, was also a manipulation of the light environment (independent variable; intensity/lux) in which individuals of Anthopleura xanthogrammica were kept, and then a subsequent quantification of green fluorescence (dependent variable; relative/arbitrary units). Individuals of A. sola did not, when kept under 2 reduced-intensity light environments, change their fluorescence relative to the control. Individuals of A. xanthogrammica, when kept under light environments both reduced and increased in intensity relative to the control environment, reduced and increased their fluorescence, respectively.
Description of the data and file structure
The data file is a .csv file and ordinary to this file type. There are two datasets, they are distinguished by distinct head-sections and labelled on the left with each species; 1 dataset corresponds to 1 species. Columns following in head sections are labelled in the head with the experimental variable the data in the column below each head represents; these heads are self explanatory, but indicated in further detail by the Methods described in the article.
Data structure
The left-most column, SPECIES, in both sets marks the anemone species tested; "Asol" represents Anthopleura sola while "Axan" represents Anthopleura xanthogrammica. The DAY column represents the numerical day along the time course of the experiment, i.e., the number of days since the start of the experiment. The LIGHT CONDITION columns, in both cases, represent the experimental treatment; 0.38, 0.66, and 1 all represent intensity proportions (and so have no units) relative to a standard (the "1" treatment), while dark, control, and light represent analogues to these in a different experiment (and are arbitrary and so also have no units) - absolute intensity values (lux) are reported in the article. PERCENT CIRCUMFERENCE (tentacle fluorescence) represents the proportion of the full circumference of the circle-circumference of a sea anemone tentacle cross-section through which fluorescence was visible under microscopic examination (it is a proportion, and so has no units); "extensiveness" of fluorescence coverage is an acceptable and functional way to conceptualize this, but please see the article for clarifying context. FLUORESCENCE INTENSITY and MEAN FLUORESCENCE INTENSITY are our response variables, and represent the brightness of the fluorescence given off by sea anemones, as measured by pixel intensity via computer application (this is an arbitrary metric, where every value greater than 0 is based on a 0 standard set at the time of the experiment, and so has no units). NORMALIZED SYMBIONTS represents a normalized (algal) symbiont count, obtained by counting the number of algal endosymbiont cells visible in a tentacle cross section; the value itself is an index with no units, but it is based on counted # of endosymbiont cells relative to a maximum count.
END, in both cases, represents the end of informational columns, no more data.
Methods
In general, we exposed sea anemones from the genus Anthopleura to variable-intensity light environments, then quantified either GFP directly or green fluorescence intensity as a stand-in for GFP. Methods and analysis were variable, please see article for further details.