Data from: Whole transcriptome analysis reveals changes in expression of immune related genes during and after bleaching in a reef-building coral

Climate change is negatively affecting the stability of natural ecosystems, especially coral reefs. The dissociation of the symbiosis between reef-building corals and their algal symbiont, or coral bleaching, has been linked to increased sea surface temperatures. Coral bleaching has significant impacts on corals, including an increase in disease outbreaks that can permanently change the entire reef ecosystem. Yet, little is known about the impacts of coral bleaching on the coral immune system. In this study, whole transcriptome analysis of the coral holobiont and each of the associate components (i.e. coral host, algal symbiont and other associated microorganisms) was used to determine changes in gene expression in corals affected by a natural bleaching event as well as during the recovery phase. The main findings include evidence that the coral holobiont and the coral host have different responses to bleaching, and the host immune system appears suppressed even a year after a bleaching event. These results support the hypothesis that coral bleaching changes the expression of innate immune genes of corals, and these effects can last even after recovery of symbiont populations. Research on the role of immunity on coral's resistance to stressors can help make informed predictions on the future of corals and coral reefs.ESM1 Symbiodinium genomic dataElectronic supplementary material 1. Fasta file containing the Symbiodinium genomic data used to filter the Orbicella faveolata metatranscriptome. This file includes contigs from Symbiodinium types A, A3, B1 and C1. For further details on the A3 and C1 data contact Dr. Todd C. LaJeunesse at The Pennsylvania State University.ESM1_Symbiodinium_genomic data.fastaESM2 Bleaching metatranscriptome transcriptomeElectronic supplementary material 2. Fasta file containing 442294 contigs of the assembled Orbicella faveolata metatranscriptome.ESM2_Bleaching_Metatranscriptome_transcriptome.fastaESM3 Bleaching "O. faveolata" transcriptomeElectronic supplementary material 3. Fasta file containing 178943 contigs that constitute the 'Orbicella faveolata' transcriptome.ESM3_Bleaching_O-faveolata_transcriptome.fastaESM4 Bleaching "Symbiodinium spp." transcriptomeElectronic supplementary material 4. Fasta file containing 130217 contigs that constitute the 'Symbiodinium spp.' transcriptome.ESM4_Bleaching_Symbiodinium-spp_transcriptome.fastaESM5 Bleaching "Other-eukaryotes" transcriptomeElectronic supplementary material 5. Fasta file containing 202236 contigs that constitute the 'other-eukaryotes' transcriptome.ESM5_Bleaching_Other-eukaryotes_transcriptome.fastaESM6 Annotations metatranscriptomeElectronic supplementary material 6. Blast results for all genes found in the Orbicella faveolata metatranscriptome.ESM6_Annotations_Metatranscriptome.txtESM7 Annotations of 1368 coral genes with different expression levelsElectronic supplementary material 7. List of 1368 genes from the 'Orbicella faveolata' transcriptome with significant differences in expression levels. Of the 1368 genes, 729 were annotated.ESM7_Annotations_1368_coral_genes_w-different_expression.tx