Research Highlights 研究亮點 55 Hong Kong Branch research team led by Prof. Pei-Yuan Qian collected a dominant species, Gigantopelta snails, at the sea floor (approximate 2800 m depth) from Longqi vent filed on the Southwest Indian Ridge. They discovered that Gigantopelta snail houses both sulfur-oxidizing bacteria and methane-oxidizing bacteria inside its esophageal gland cells (part of digestive system) as endosymbionts. By decoding the genomes of both snail host and two symbionts, Prof. Qian’s team disclosed a novel dual symbiosis system and the molecular adaptation to the extreme environment, gaining a new understanding of the origin of life on Earth. These findings not only enable us to gain a better understanding of how deep-sea animals thrive in such extreme environment, but also shed light on how such animals cope with microbes in a highly specialized way. Their cutting-edge findings has been published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Refer to HKUST news/参考科大新闻: https://hkust.edu.hk/zh-hans/news/research-and-innovation/hkust-decodes-deep-sea-vent-endemic-snail-hologenome-and-unveils-its Reference: Nature Communications 2021, 12, 1-15. 香港分部钱培元教授领导的研究团队， 从龙旂热液区2 8 0 0米深海海底采集到 一种群体庞大的神盾螺。经研究发现， 神盾螺食道腺（消化系统）中同时存在 硫氧化细菌和甲烷氧化细菌两种共生 菌。研究团队首次破译两种共生菌及宿 主神盾螺的基因组，揭示了共生体利用 化学能量生产营养物质的过程以及适应 极端环境的分子机制。这一重大发现 为地球生命的起源提供了新启示。这个 研究结果不仅有助于我们了解生物是如 何在这类极端环境中生存的，也为动物 与微生物之间的分工和合作带来重要启 示。相关最新研究成果已发表在Nature Communications。 Decode a Deep-sea vent-endemic Snail Hologenome and Unveil Its Living Strategies in the Extreme Environment 首次破譯深海熱液神盾螺共生體基因組，揭秘地球極端環境生物 的生存策略 Prof. Pei-Yuan Qian 钱培元教授 The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 香港科技大学
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