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Possible role of a taurine transporter in the deep‐sea mussel Bathymodiolus septemdierum in adaptation to hydrothermal vents
Author(s) -
Inoue Koji,
Tsukuda Kimihiko,
Koito Tomoko,
Miyazaki Yoshiko,
Hosoi Masatomi,
Kado Ryusuke,
Miyazaki Nobuyuki,
Toyohara Haruhiko
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2008.03.052
Subject(s) - hydrothermal vent , taurine , hypotaurine , mussel , biology , detoxification (alternative medicine) , sulfur , deep sea , sulfide , biochemistry , ecology , environmental chemistry , amino acid , chemistry , hydrothermal circulation , fishery , medicine , paleontology , alternative medicine , organic chemistry , pathology
Various invertebrates inhabiting hydrothermal vents possess sulfur‐oxidizing bacteria in their tissues; however, the mechanisms by which toxic sulfides are delivered to these endosymbionts remain unknown. Recently, detoxification of sulfides using thiotaurine, a sulfur‐containing amino acid, has been suggested. In this study, we propose the involvement of a taurine transporter in sulfide detoxification in the deep‐sea mussel Bathymodiolus septemdierum by demonstrating: (i) the abundance of its mRNA in the gill; (ii) its activity under a wide range of salinities; (iii) its low Michaelis constant value in taurine transportation; and (iv) its affinity for thiotaurine and the thiotaurine precursor, hypotaurine.