STARDUST II - Spatial and Temporal Assessment
of high Resolution Depth profiles Using novel Sampling Technologies The fate of pollutants in fluvial and marine sediments in cross-border zones
3D FISH for the quantification of methane- and sulphur-oxidizing endosymbionts in bacteriocytes of the hydrothermal vent mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus
Halary, S.; Riou, V.; Gaill, F.; Boudier, T.; Duperron, S. (2008). 3D FISH for the quantification of methane- and sulphur-oxidizing endosymbionts in bacteriocytes of the hydrothermal vent mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus. ISME J. 2(3): 284-292. dx.doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2008.3
In: The ISME Journal: Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology. Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 1751-7362; e-ISSN 1751-7370
Dual endosymbioses involving methane- and sulphur-oxidizing bacteria occur in the gills of several species of mussels from deep-sea hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. Variations of total and relative abundances of symbionts depending on local environmental parameters are not yet understood, due to a lack of reliable quantification of bacteria in the host tissue. Here, we report the first attempt to quantify volumes occupied by each type of symbiont in bacteriocyte sections from a vent mussel, Bathymodiolus azoricus, using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) coupled to three dimentional microscopy and image analysis carried out by a dedicated software, which we developped. Bacteriocytes from mussels recovered at different vent sites displayed significantly different abundances of bacteria. Specimens kept in aquaria at atmospheric pressure and exposed to an artificial pulse of sulphur displayed an increase in absolute and relative abundance of sulphur oxidizers within their bacteriocytes. Distributions of all measured parameters fitted normal distributions, indicating that bacteriocytes from a specimen tend to display similar behaviours. This study shows that symbiont volume quantification is tractable using 3D FISH, and confirms the impact of local environmental parameters on symbiont abundances.
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STARDUST II is a project funded by the INTERREG III A programme (France/Walloon Region/Flanders
French-Flemish subprogramme) of the European Community's Regional Development Fund.
Hosted by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
