Effects of the oophagous bivalve Acesta oophaga on the morphology and fecundity of its deep‐sea tubeworm host,Lamellibrachia luymesi

The deep‐sea bivalve Acesta oophaga lives attached to the anterior end of the vestimentiferan tubeworm, Lamellibrachia luymesi, at cold methane seeps. The bivalve is found almost exclusively on female tubeworms, where it consumes the lipid‐rich eggs of L. luymesi that are spawned year round (Biological Bulletin, 209, 2005, 87). It is apparent that A. oophaga benefits directly from this close association, but the consequences for the tubeworm host may be more complicated than just a simple predator–prey interaction. Since A. oophaga completely surrounds the tube opening and plume of the worm, it is likely that its presence would limit oxygen uptake by L. luymesi, thereby inhibiting worm growth and reproduction. We hypothesized that occupied tubeworms would compensate for this by growing larger plumes for oxygen uptake. To explore the effects of bivalve presence/absence on female tubeworms, several morphological features, including body size, plume length, tube diameter, and tube segment length, as well as instantaneous fecundity, were compared. Results suggest that the mere presence of A. oophaga has a significant impact on the morphology of its host worm, as all measures of worm size, except for tube segment length, were significantly greater with clams present. Additionally, instantaneous fecundity was 3.5 times higher in occupied worms, implying that tubeworms are not oxygen‐deprived or energy limited as a result of bivalve presence. Our findings suggest that the association between these two deep‐sea organisms may be a more complex form of symbiosis than the simple predator–prey relationship, as previously thought.     

深海热液区管状蠕虫Ridgeia piscesae β型半乳糖凝集素的克隆与功能研究

Lectins are sugar-specific binding proteins or glycoproteins that play important physiological roles in cellular recognition and regulation. And they are also valuable in medicine and pharmacy. Tubeworm is the representative species around the hydrothermal vent in the deep sea. They have developed unique mechanisms to adapt to the harsh environment. In this study, a 1 092 bp c DNA, designed as rpgal, was first cloned and characterized from the tubeworm Ridgeia piscesae. Sequence analysis showed that RPGAL had low homology with the known galectin. And it had two homologous carbohydrate-recognition domains, which is the characteristic of the tandem-repeat type galectins. The RPGAL was successfully recombinant expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Analysis of biological activity revealed that RPGAL was metal ion independent and it could agglutinate all the vertebrate erythrocytes tested. It was stable at 10–50°C and p H 5–10. And the hemagglutinating activity of RPGAL was strongly inhibited by D-Lactose and lipopolysaccharide. Although RPGAL had no effect on the microorganisms tested, it showed anti-tumor activity towards He La cells and HT1080 cells, which was accomplished by apoptosis. The study demonstrated that RPGAL was a novel galectin and provided a potential candidate for therapy of anti-tumor.     

深海热液区管状蠕虫Ridgeia piscesae中Ricin B-lectin型结构域基因的克隆与表达

作为一种重要的模式识别因子,凝集素在多个领域中均有着广泛的应用价值,因此,开发和利用新型凝集素将具有重要意义.本研究以生活在深海热液区极端环境条件下的管状蠕虫Ridgeia piscesae为材料,首次从管状蠕虫中克隆获得Ricin B-lectin基因rgal.序列分析表明,RGAL与已知序列的相似性较低,其含有2个Ricin B-lectin型结构域,并且该结构域具有该家族所特有的β-三叶草形三维结构.多方面的分析结果显示RGAL可能是一个新颖的凝集素蛋白.对RGAL进行了原核重组表达,并对其复性条件进行了摸索优化,成功获得了其可溶性表达产物,为后续RGAL的生物活性分析奠定了坚实的基础.