Do Gill from Symbiont-free Mussels Gain Sufficient Cellular Energy from Sulfide Oxidation to Support Cellular Work?

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Hydrogen sulfide, which is naturally produced in marine sediments, is poison to most living organisms. However, some animals from sulfide-rich environments avoid this poisoning with sulfide detoxification reactions at the cellular level, and these oxidation reactions may be a potentially useful source of energy. The goal of this project is to determine if sulfide inhabitants gain sufficient cellular energy from sulfide oxidation to support cellular work. The experimental tissue choice will be ciliated gills from two species of marine mussels, one from sulfide-rich environments and one from sulfide-free environments. Gills are hard-working tissues that act as the primary interface between filter-feeding animals and their environment. In the presence and absence of sulfide, we will measure several parameters of cellular energy metabolism, including energy production by the mitochondria and energy consumption by the gill cilia. This research will begin to address basic questions concerning the regulatory mechanisms that coordinate cellular energy consumption with energy production; the molecular and cellular mechanisms that allow survival in natural stressful habitats; and the invasion of the sulfide habitat by marine invertebrates that may have led to the eventual development of the symbiosis between invertebrate hosts and sulfide-oxidizing bacteria. It will address questions concerning the contribution of sulfide systems to the total productivity of estuaries.