Bacteria Transmission in Endosymbiont-Containing Bivalves Resolved using In Situ Hybridization Techniques: Research Fellowship in Marine Biotechnology

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Since the discovery of deep-sea-floor hydrothermal vents, bivalves that contain endosymbiotic bacteria have been identified in a wide variety of reducing marine environments. These novel symbioses have attracted much research into understanding the relationship between the host and bacteria. A major problem that has eluded investigators is the mechanisms by which the symbionts are transmitted from generation to generation. This problem, until recently, was unapproachable because the early life stages of these bivalves were not available nor was there a technique that could resolve bacteria at a fine enough scale. Several species of symbiont-containing bivalves can now be cultured through metamorphosis, and provide an ideal model system to address this problem. In situ hybridization techniques incorporating the use of oligonucleotide fluorescent probes are now routinely used to differentiate and enumerate eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Employing these techniques, it will be possible to determine the initial site of infection and the cellular process of the incorporation of the symbiont during the early developmental stages of the host. This research will address three specific questions: what is the mechanism of symbiont transmission, what are the cellular processes of symbiont incorporation into the host tissue, and what is the metabolic state of the symbiont during the process of incorporation?