Survival strategy of deep-sea mussel

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24658187
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Fisheries chemistry
• Research Institution: Nihon University
• Principal Investigator: KOITO Tomoko 日本大学, 生物資源科学部, 助教 (10583148)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MAKIGUCHI Yuya 日本大学, 生物資源科学部, 助教 (00584153)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: シンカイヒバリガイ類 / セロトニン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Deep-sea hydrothermal vent specific mussel, Bathymodiolus septemdierum is known to house thioautotrophic symbiont in their gills. They must be exposed to hydrogen sulfide because they rely on the nutrients produced by symbionts. We tried to reveal the response mechanism to hydrogen sulfide in the mussel. We reared B. septemdierum in gradually sulfide-added condition for 24 hours and then quantified the expression level of serotonin receptor mRNA using real-time PCR method. Moreover, we derived heart rate of mussels during sulfide-added rearing. The results showed that the expression level of serotonin receptor mRNA and heart rate decreased with time. Thus, we found that B. septemdierum could recognize and response to ambient sulfide.

Free Research Field

分子生物学