A research team led by Prof. Qian Peiyuan, Head and Chair Professor from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)’s Department of Ocean Science and David von Hansemann Professor of Science, has published their cutting-edge findings of symbiotic mechanisms of a deep-sea vent snail (Gigantopelta aegis) in the scientific journal Nature Communications. They discovered that the Gigantopelta snail houses both sulfur-oxidizing bacteria and methane-oxidizing bacteria inside its esophageal gland cells (part of the digestive system) as endosymbionts. By decoding the genomes of both snail host and the two symbionts, Prof. Qian’s team disclosed a novel dual symbiosis system and molecular adaptation to the extreme environment, gaining a new understanding of the origin of life on Earth.
Click here for original story, Researchers decode a deep-sea-vent-endemic snail hologenome
Source: Phys.org