Meeting Abstract
The long-lived gutless tubeworm Lamellibrachia luymesi (Siboglinidae) is found at deep-sea cold seeps in the Gulf of Mexico and has served as model to study chemosynthetic symbiosis and adaptation to extreme environments. However, the evolution of genomic and molecular mechanisms involved in such symbiosis is poorly understood. Here, we present and characterize the genome of Lamellibrachia luymesi. In relation to chemoautotrophy, we found evidence that symbionts compensate for the host’s deficiency in amino acid biosynthesis and found a large expansion of hemoglobin B1 genes (these genes may function in sulfide-binding to help feed the endosymbionts). Comparative analyses suggest the Toll-like receptor pathway may be essential to host immunity and tolerance/sensitivity to symbionts and pathogens. Last, we identified genes that potentially play an important role in organismal longevity.
