Proteomics of Candidatus Thiodiazotropha endoloripes, the chemosynthetic symbiont of the lucinid clam Loripes lucinalis from the Bay of Fetovaia

The Lucinidae is a large family of marine bivalves. They occur in diverse habitats from shallow-water seagrass sediments to deep-sea hydrothermal vents. All members of this family so far investigated host intracellular sulfur-oxidizing symbionts that belong to the Gammaproteobacteria. We recently discovered the capability for nitrogen fixation in draft genomes of the symbionts of Loripes lucinalis from the Bay of Fetovaia, Elba, Italy. With proteomics, we investigated whether the genes for nitrogen fixation are expressed by the symbionts.

满月蛤科（Lucinidae）是一类大型海洋双壳类软体动物科。该科物种的栖息环境多样，涵盖浅海海草床沉积物至深海热液喷口等多种生境。截至目前所有已被研究的该科成员，均携带有隶属于γ-变形菌纲（Gammaproteobacteria）的胞内硫化物氧化共生菌。我们近期在采自意大利厄尔巴岛费托瓦亚湾的洛里普斯满月蛤（Loripes lucinalis）的共生菌草图基因组中，发现了固氮能力。本研究借助蛋白质组学技术，探究了该共生菌是否会表达固氮相关基因。