Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS04 Environmental Microbial Genomics (Environmental and Disciplinary Connections)

Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2001, Time: 10:15:00 AM

Location: Brazos

Feldman, R, A, Molecular Dynamics part of Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Sunnyvale, USA, robert.feldman@am.apbiotech.com

Felbeck, H, , UCSD-SIO, San Diego, USA,

Cary, S, C, U. of Del., Lewes, USA,

Stein, J, L, Quorex Pharm. Inc., Carlsbad, USA,

GENOME OF THE UNCULTIVATED BACTERIAL ENDOSYMBIONT FROM THE DEEP-SEA HYDROTHERMAL VENT GIANT TUBEWORM RIFTIA PACHYPTILA

The deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems are potentially ancient remnants of earth's earliest ecosystems and have evolved in complete isolation from photosynthetically driven surface ecosystems. Powered by geo-thermal energy sources and bacterial chemoautotrophic food production, this environment may provide important clues in the search for extraterrestrial life. We are pioneering the environmental genomic study of deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems. The giant tubeworm of the East Pacific deep-sea hydrothermal vents, Riftia pachyptila, and its uncultivated chemoautotrophic bacterial endosymbiont exhibit a tightly coupled symbiotic relationship in which the host is completely dependent on the symbiont for nutrition. The bacterial symbionts found within Riftia and other similar tubeworms are acquired from the environment and show only slight genetic variability across geographic and host species ranges. Within a given host animal symbionts may be clonally propagated from a single bacterial cell and may exist as nearly pure cultures. For these reasons, total bacterial DNA extracted from a given host animal should show little to no genetic variability making production of a genome sequence from this microbial community a feasible undertaking.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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