Connecting proteome and adaptaion : Story of two Snails
Staying with adaptations of organisms to different environments ,but unlike the previous post (which deals with computers and simulations) lets talk about Snails.To understand the role played by proteomic changes during speciation ,Emilio Rolán-Alvarez and colleagues from Spain compared the proteome of two ecotypes (RB and SU) of the marine snail Littorina saxatilis, a case of sympatric incomplete speciation, originated as a byproduct of adaptation to distinct habitats.
RB has the ability to resist stresses of desiccation and temperature while staying at upper shore and SU ecotype lives on the lower shore, typically submerged in water and protected from large changes in temperature.Snails of SU ecotype defies strong physical disturbances due to wave action.
Its pretty well known that animals of the same species can have different physical characteristics enabling them to survive in different habitats. But on the contrary very little is known about the biochemical aspects responsible for such adaptations.
Studying the proteome of these two marine snails from different environments (staying only few feet apart on Spanish coast).Mass spectrometry analysis showed major differences in about 12 percent of the proteins in the snail, a subset of proteins that apparently enables the snails to survive in different environmental conditions.Among the proteins identified by mass spectrometry authors found that fructose-bisphosphate aldolase and arginine kinase were up-regulated in the SU ecotype, which indicates an increase in the level of energy available as ATP, in order to withstand its wave-exposed habitat.
Reference:
Mónica Martínez-Fernández, Ana M. Rodríguez-Piñeiro, Eliandre Oliveira,‡María Páez de la Cadena, and Emilio Rolán-Alvarez .
Proteomic Comparison between Two Marine Snail Ecotypes Reveals Details about the Biochemistry of Adaptation.
J. Proteome Res., 7 (11), 4926–4934, 2008. 10.1021/pr700863e
Image Credit: Gwylan / Flickr
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