台灣珊瑚細菌紀事

The Story for Coral Bacteria in Taiwan

在珊瑚共生體中細菌是最多數目和種類的成員，珊瑚細菌普遍被認為在珊瑚健康、疾病和養分供應上扮演著重要角色。由於受到技術的限制，一直到二十年前PCR、分子、和解序技術出現後，才有人開始探索珊瑚細菌群聚的組成和變動。台灣珊瑚細菌研究發展相當晚，在2006年我建立了第一間台灣珊瑚微生物實驗室，開始著手這方面的研究。早期我們利用傳統不培養式分子技術調查墾丁珊瑚細菌，到2010年，我們領先全世界利用次世代定序技術研究珊瑚細菌組成和變動，2016年後，利用基因體、生化、穩定同位素等技術驗證珊瑚細菌的功能。目前我們實驗室是台灣和印度太平洋區研究珊瑚細菌的少數重要指標實驗室之一，我們主要的研究是珊瑚健康有關的內生桿菌和它的寄主珊瑚或周邊環境之關係，也解開數個內生桿菌基因體和偵測內生桿菌的重要代謝能力等，經過15年的努力，我們建立了全世界最大珊瑚內生桿菌分離和保存的實驗室，未來除了在基礎科學繼續研究珊瑚和內生桿菌互動的分子機制外，更冀望可以開發這些細菌為珊瑚益生菌，有利於珊瑚培養、維持健康、復育之用。

Bacteria are the most abundant and diverse members in coral holobiont; they play an important role in coral health, disease and nutrient supply. Because of the limitation of technology, it waited until two decades ago when PCR, molecular and sequencing techniques being available and some started investigations into the composition of and change in coral bacteria. The development for the study of coral-associated bacteria was much late in Taiwan. In 2006, we established the first laboratory of coral microbiology in Taiwan, and started the study of bacterial composition in corals at Kenting, South Taiwan using traditional culture-independent molecular cloning technique and Sanger-based sequencing. In 2010, we became the first group in the world to enable detection of temporal dynamics and changes in coral-associated bacterial community using next generation sequencing. After 2016, we identified functions of coral-associated bacteria using genomics, biochemistry and stable isotope approaches. Now we are one of the few, iconic laboratories of coral microbiology in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Our main research was focused on a coral-health-associated bacterial group, called Endozoicomonas, and its interactions with coral hosts or environments. And we also uncovered several Endozoicomonas genomes and identified important metabolic functions and abilities of Endozoicomonas. Over the effort of 15 years, we have established the largest laboratory of Endozoicomonas collection in the world. We anticipate investigations into the molecular interactions between Endozoicomonas and coral, and furthermore hope to develop coral probiotics for applications on coral cultivation, health maintenance and restoration.