epibiont metagenome Genome sequencing and assembly. epibiont metagenome

The shrimp Rimicaris exoculata living in the deep-sea hydrothermal vents hosts a dense epibiontic community of chemoautotrophic bacteria on its enlarged gill chamber. Yet our understanding of the shrimp-epibiont symbiosis is heavily hampered by our inability to cultivate the dominant microbes in the community. Here we use metagenomics and metatranscriptomics on shrimp from the South Mid-Atlantic Ridge, to investigate the metabolic activity of the epibionts affiliated to the Epsilonproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria.