Coral reefs, crucial marine ecosystems, are facing global decline due to climate change and anthropogenic stressors. Understanding coral tissue repair and regeneration is therefore critical for reef conservation efforts. This study focused on Turbinaria peltata , a dominant coral species in the Xuwen coastal area of Guangdong Province, and analyzed its post-injury tissue healing process using integrated morphological, physiological, and molecular approaches. The regeneration process was divided into three distinct stages: the coenosarc healing phase (0–7 days), the blastema formation phase (7–15 days), and the polyp formation phase (15–30 days). The average daily surface area growth during the coenosarc healing phase (0.535 ± 0.136 cm²) was significantly higher than that in the subsequent stage ( p < 0.05). Enzymatic activity assays revealed a sharp increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, GSH) and lipid peroxide (LPO), which peaked at 7 days post-injury. Transcriptomic sequencing demonstrated that the coenosarc healing phase was characterized by oxidative stress response and activation of the MAPK signaling pathway, accompanied by significant upregulation of cell proliferation-related genes (e.g., odc1 , rac1 ). During the blastema formation phase, the focus shifted to tissue remodeling, marked by expression of cytoskeleton reorganization genes. In the polyp formation phase, a unique pattern emerged with upregulation of immune-related genes (e.g., ddx60 , nlrc4 ) and suppression of autophagy pathways, indicating a repair strategy centered on structural reconstruction. Collectively, our results delineate the complex molecular and physiological landscape of wound healing in T. peltata , providing theoretical insights into strategies of the coral reef restoration. • This study identifies three stage-specific patterns of wound healing in Turbinaria peltata. • Early regeneration is associated with activation of oxidative stress and MAPK signaling pathways. • Distinct gene expression dynamics underlie different stages of tissue repair. • Oxidative stress response peaked at 7 days post-injury before gradually stabilizing.
Ren et al. (Thu,) studied this question.