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Respiration strategies utilized by the gill endosymbiont from the host lucinid Codakia orbicularis (Bivalvia: Lucinidae)

Respiration strategies utilized by the gill endosymbiont from the host lucinid Codakia orbicularis (Bivalvia: Lucinidae)
Respiration strategies utilized by the gill endosymbiont from the host lucinid Codakia orbicularis (Bivalvia: Lucinidae)
The large tropical lucinid clam Codakia orbicularis has a symbiotic relationship with intracellular, sulfide-oxidizing chemoautotrophic bacteria. The respiration strategies utilized by the symbiont were explored using integrative techniques on mechanically purified symbionts and intact clam-symbiont associations along with habitat analysis. Previous work on a related symbiont species found in the host lucinid Lucinoma aequizonata showed that the symbionts obligately used nitrate as an electron acceptor, even under oxygenated conditions. In contrast, the symbionts of C. orbicularis use oxygen as the primary electron acceptor while evidence for nitrate respiration was lacking. Direct measurements obtained by using microelectrodes in purified symbiont suspensions showed that the symbionts consumed oxygen; this intracellular respiration was confirmed by using the redox dye CTC (5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride). In the few intact chemosymbioses tested in previous studies, hydrogen sulfide production was shown to occur when the animal-symbiont association was exposed to anoxia and elemental sulfur stored in the thioautotrophic symbionts was proposed to serve as an electron sink in the absence of oxygen and nitrate. However, this is the first study to show by direct measurements using sulfide microelectrodes in enriched symbiont suspensions that the symbionts are the actual source of sulfide under anoxic conditions.
0099-2240
4144-4150
Duplessis, M.R.
7bd55fe8-a920-4150-b4c2-fa5f057050bb
Ziebis, W.
d6b50b7d-caf0-4f8e-aa9a-17a07f3aa92c
Gros, O.
00a2ccc7-16c8-4474-a029-d0f38401cee7
Caro, A.
6d5abd1e-72db-42f9-9e9a-b8224183318e
Robidart, J.
6d3b095c-9706-4676-bdb6-ac8ed13b5fbd
Felbeck, H.
a38dcf62-437c-4370-a7aa-2c8fbfde02d6
Duplessis, M.R.
7bd55fe8-a920-4150-b4c2-fa5f057050bb
Ziebis, W.
d6b50b7d-caf0-4f8e-aa9a-17a07f3aa92c
Gros, O.
00a2ccc7-16c8-4474-a029-d0f38401cee7
Caro, A.
6d5abd1e-72db-42f9-9e9a-b8224183318e
Robidart, J.
6d3b095c-9706-4676-bdb6-ac8ed13b5fbd
Felbeck, H.
a38dcf62-437c-4370-a7aa-2c8fbfde02d6

Duplessis, M.R., Ziebis, W., Gros, O., Caro, A., Robidart, J. and Felbeck, H. (2004) Respiration strategies utilized by the gill endosymbiont from the host lucinid Codakia orbicularis (Bivalvia: Lucinidae). Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 70 (7), 4144-4150. (doi:10.1128/AEM.70.7.4144-4150.2004).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The large tropical lucinid clam Codakia orbicularis has a symbiotic relationship with intracellular, sulfide-oxidizing chemoautotrophic bacteria. The respiration strategies utilized by the symbiont were explored using integrative techniques on mechanically purified symbionts and intact clam-symbiont associations along with habitat analysis. Previous work on a related symbiont species found in the host lucinid Lucinoma aequizonata showed that the symbionts obligately used nitrate as an electron acceptor, even under oxygenated conditions. In contrast, the symbionts of C. orbicularis use oxygen as the primary electron acceptor while evidence for nitrate respiration was lacking. Direct measurements obtained by using microelectrodes in purified symbiont suspensions showed that the symbionts consumed oxygen; this intracellular respiration was confirmed by using the redox dye CTC (5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride). In the few intact chemosymbioses tested in previous studies, hydrogen sulfide production was shown to occur when the animal-symbiont association was exposed to anoxia and elemental sulfur stored in the thioautotrophic symbionts was proposed to serve as an electron sink in the absence of oxygen and nitrate. However, this is the first study to show by direct measurements using sulfide microelectrodes in enriched symbiont suspensions that the symbionts are the actual source of sulfide under anoxic conditions.

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Published date: July 2004
Organisations: Ocean Technology and Engineering

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Local EPrints ID: 374106
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/374106
ISSN: 0099-2240
PURE UUID: 83643d38-18c0-41f8-b9f9-e4aa41a2db92

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Date deposited: 03 Feb 2015 14:21
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 19:02

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Contributors

Author: M.R. Duplessis
Author: W. Ziebis
Author: O. Gros
Author: A. Caro
Author: J. Robidart
Author: H. Felbeck

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