Distinct symbiont lineages in three thyasirid species (Bivalvia: Thyasiridae) from the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea

Naturwissenschaften. 2011 Apr;98(4):281-7. doi: 10.1007/s00114-011-0766-3. Epub 2011 Feb 19.

Abstract

Thyasiridae are one of the less studied groups of chemosymbiotic bivalves. Here, we investigated symbioses in three different thyasirid species collected at three cold seeps from the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Phylogenetic analysis of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences demonstrated that each thyasirid species harbours a single phylotype of symbiont that belongs to a distinct lineage of putative sulphur-oxidizing Gammaproteobacteria. This result is confirmed by other marker genes (encoding 23S rRNA and APS reductase) and fluorescence in situ hybridization. This work highlights the diversity of bacteria involved in symbiosis with thyasirids and underlines the relevance of this group as a target for future symbiosis studies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Atlantic Ocean
  • Biodiversity
  • Bivalvia / classification*
  • Bivalvia / microbiology*
  • Gammaproteobacteria / cytology
  • Gammaproteobacteria / genetics
  • Gammaproteobacteria / physiology*
  • Mediterranean Sea
  • Oxidoreductases Acting on Sulfur Group Donors / genetics
  • Phylogeny*
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 23S / genetics
  • Species Specificity
  • Symbiosis / physiology*

Substances

  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 23S
  • Oxidoreductases Acting on Sulfur Group Donors
  • adenylylsulfate reductase