Megabalanus rosa transcriptome project

Barnacles are typical marine sessile organisms that have a variety of unique functions. Some of these functions include the secretion of adhesives that allow them to adhere strongly to rocks, and the formation of hard calcareous shells. While there is ample research on the adhesives secreted by the adults, there is limited information on the adhesive secreted by the larvae. In addition, little is known about the proteins involved in shell formation. Our goal is to understand the genes and proteins involved in the larval cementation and the adult shell formation. To do so, we have constructed a transcriptome composed of larval stages and adult parts of the barnacle, Megabalanus rosa.

藤壶是一类典型的海洋固着生物，具备多种独特的生理功能。其中包括分泌可使其牢固附着于岩石表面的黏附物质，以及形成坚硬的石灰质外壳。目前针对成体分泌的黏附物质已有较为充分的研究，但关于幼体分泌的黏附物质的相关信息却十分有限。此外，学界对外壳形成过程中涉及的蛋白质的了解也相对匮乏。本研究旨在明确幼体固着黏附以及成体外壳形成过程中所涉及的基因与蛋白质。为此，我们针对玫瑰藤壶（Megabalanus rosa）的幼体阶段及成体组织构建了转录组。