British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK.
Centre for Marine Biodiversity &Biotechnology, Institute of Life &Earth Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK.
Sci Rep. 2016 Nov 11;6:36978. doi: 10.1038/srep36978.
The Antarctic clam Laternula elliptica lives almost permanently below 0 °C and therefore is a valuable and tractable model to study the mechanisms of biomineralisation in cold water. The present study employed a multidisciplinary approach using histology, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, proteomics and gene expression to investigate this process. Thirty seven proteins were identified via proteomic extraction of the nacreous shell layer, including two not previously found in nacre; a novel T-rich Mucin-like protein and a Zinc-dependent metalloprotease. In situ hybridisation of seven candidate biomineralisation genes revealed discrete spatial expression patterns within the mantle tissue, hinting at modular organisation, which is also observed in the mantle tissues of other molluscs. All seven of these biomineralisation candidates displayed evidence of multifunctionality and strong association with vesicles, which are potentially involved in shell secretion in this species.
南极贻贝 Laternula elliptica 几乎永久生活在 0°C 以下，因此是研究冷水生物矿化机制的有价值且易于处理的模型。本研究采用组织学、免疫组织化学、电子显微镜、蛋白质组学和基因表达等多学科方法来研究这个过程。通过对珍珠层进行蛋白质组提取，鉴定出 37 种蛋白质，其中包括两种以前未在珍珠层中发现的蛋白质；一种新型富含 T 的粘蛋白样蛋白和一种锌依赖性金属蛋白酶。对 7 种候选生物矿化基因的原位杂交揭示了在套膜组织内离散的空间表达模式，暗示了模块化组织，这在其他软体动物的套膜组织中也观察到。这 7 种生物矿化候选基因都表现出多功能性的证据，并与囊泡有很强的关联，这些囊泡可能参与了该物种的贝壳分泌。
