Exploration of genes associated with iron-sulfide mineralization in the deep-sea hydrothermal vent snail

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25430176
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Genome biology
• Research Institution: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: TAKAKI Yoshihiro 国立研究開発法人海洋研究開発機構, 深海・地殻内生物圏研究分野, 主任技術研究員 (10399561)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): NUNOURA Takurou 国立研究開発法人海洋研究開発機構, 海洋生命理工学研究開発センター, グループリーダー (60359164) ; WATSUJI Tomo-o 国立研究開発法人海洋研究開発機構, 深海・地殻内生物圏研究分野, 研究員 (50409091)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: バイオミネラリゼーション / 共生微生物

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Scaly-foot gastropod is the only creature with mineralized scales made of iron sulfides. The purpose of our research is to explore genes related to a unique biomineralization by comparative transcriptome analysis between ‘Black scaly-foot’ and ‘White scaly-foot’. Sample of scaly-foot gastropod were in situ fixed for RNA preservation. We sequenced the transcriptome of the sclerite, mantle, gill, and foot tissues and generated a transcriptomic database containing 36,698 transcripts sequences (GC content 36.2%). Post-informatics resulted in the prediction of 40,501 protein coding transcripts. Under comparative transcriptomics among tissues, 29 of transcripts showed elevated expression specific to the sclerite tissue. These included genes related to the sclerite formation, such as acidic matrix protein homolog and chitin synthase. Overall, the present study can be saved as the basis for further molecular studies on iron-sulfide mineralization of sclerites.

Free Research Field

ゲノム生物学