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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2004, p. 3082-3090, Vol. 70, No. 5
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.5.3082-3090.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Novel Forms of Structural Integration between Microbes and a Hydrothermal Vent Gastropod from the Indian Ocean

Shana K. Goffredi,1* Anders Warén,2 Victoria J. Orphan,3 Cindy L. Van Dover,4 and Robert C. Vrijenhoek1

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, California 95039,1 Swedish Museum of Natural History, SE-10405 Stockholm, Sweden,2 NASA Ames Research Center, Moffet Field, California 94035,3 Biology Department, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia 231874

Received 30 September 2003/ Accepted 2 February 2004

Here we describe novel forms of structural integration between endo- and episymbiotic microbes and an unusual new species of snail from hydrothermal vents in the Indian Ocean. The snail houses a dense population of {gamma}-proteobacteria within the cells of its greatly enlarged esophageal gland. This tissue setting differs from that of all other vent mollusks, which harbor sulfur-oxidizing endosymbionts in their gills. The significantly reduced digestive tract, the isotopic signatures of the snail tissues, and the presence of internal bacteria suggest a dependence on chemoautotrophy for nutrition. Most notably, this snail is unique in having a dense coat of mineralized scales covering the sides of its foot, a feature seen in no other living metazoan. The scales are coated with iron sulfides (pyrite and greigite) and heavily colonized by {varepsilon}- and {delta}-proteobacteria, likely participating in mineralization of the sclerites. This novel metazoan-microbial collaboration illustrates the great potential of organismal adaptation in chemically and physically challenging deep-sea environments.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 7700 Sandholdt Rd., Moss Landing, CA 95039. Phone: (831) 775-1853. Fax: (831) 775-1620. E-mail: goffredi{at}mbari.org.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2004, p. 3082-3090, Vol. 70, No. 5
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.5.3082-3090.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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