https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/unlocking-the-genomic-secrets-of-scaly-foot-snail-334111

Researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have decoded for the first time the genome of the scaly-foot snail, a rare snail inhabited in what scientists called “the origin of life”– deep-sea hydrothermal vents characterized with impossible living conditions. Unraveling the genome of this unique creature will not only shed light on how life evolved billions of years ago, but will also lay the foundation for the discovery of potential remedies offered by these ancient creatures.

Despite an extreme environment characterized by high pressure, high temperature, strong acidity and low oxygen level which resembles living conditions in pre-historic times, hydrothermal vents harbor a diverse number of creatures – most of which have huge potential for biomedical and other applications. Among inhabitants of such a difficult environment, the scaly-foot snail, also known as “Sea Pangolin”, is of particular interest to marine scientists.

The scaly-foot snail is the only extant gastropod (a major invertebrate animal, commonly known as snails and slugs,) alive that possesses armor-like scales – an otherwise very common feature for gastropods during the Cambrian time over 540 million years ago. This snail is also the only organism in the world known to incorporate iron into its exoskeleton. Little is known, however, about its genome and unusual morphology, as the creature is extremely difficult to locate and collect.

Now, a research team led by Prof. Qian Peiyuan, Chair Professor of HKUST’s Department of Ocean Science and Division of Life Science, managed to collect 20 scaly-foot snails at around 2,900 meters below sea level from the Indian Ocean in collaboration with researchers from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), and analyze the snail’s genome sequence.

Contrary to many scientists’ expectations that the creature contains some new special genes that give rise to its bizarre morphology, the team actually discovered that all of the snail’s genes already existed in other mollusks such as squid and pearl oyster, and the snail’s gene sequence has remained almost unchanged throughout its evolution. The 25 transcription factors (a key protein that regulates many downstream gene expression levels) which contribute to the snail’s scale and shell formation, as the team identified, have also contributed to the formation of many other unique hard-parts in Mollusca – such as operculum in gastropods, beak in squid, spicule in chiton, or chaetae in polychaetes.

dv said:

https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/unlocking-the-genomic-secrets-of-scaly-foot-snail-334111

Researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have decoded for the first time the genome of the scaly-foot snail, a rare snail inhabited in what scientists called “the origin of life”– deep-sea hydrothermal vents characterized with impossible living conditions. Unraveling the genome of this unique creature will not only shed light on how life evolved billions of years ago, but will also lay the foundation for the discovery of potential remedies offered by these ancient creatures.

Despite an extreme environment characterized by high pressure, high temperature, strong acidity and low oxygen level which resembles living conditions in pre-historic times, hydrothermal vents harbor a diverse number of creatures – most of which have huge potential for biomedical and other applications. Among inhabitants of such a difficult environment, the scaly-foot snail, also known as “Sea Pangolin”, is of particular interest to marine scientists.

The scaly-foot snail is the only extant gastropod (a major invertebrate animal, commonly known as snails and slugs,) alive that possesses armor-like scales – an otherwise very common feature for gastropods during the Cambrian time over 540 million years ago. This snail is also the only organism in the world known to incorporate iron into its exoskeleton. Little is known, however, about its genome and unusual morphology, as the creature is extremely difficult to locate and collect.

Now, a research team led by Prof. Qian Peiyuan, Chair Professor of HKUST’s Department of Ocean Science and Division of Life Science, managed to collect 20 scaly-foot snails at around 2,900 meters below sea level from the Indian Ocean in collaboration with researchers from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), and analyze the snail’s genome sequence.

Contrary to many scientists’ expectations that the creature contains some new special genes that give rise to its bizarre morphology, the team actually discovered that all of the snail’s genes already existed in other mollusks such as squid and pearl oyster, and the snail’s gene sequence has remained almost unchanged throughout its evolution. The 25 transcription factors (a key protein that regulates many downstream gene expression levels) which contribute to the snail’s scale and shell formation, as the team identified, have also contributed to the formation of many other unique hard-parts in Mollusca – such as operculum in gastropods, beak in squid, spicule in chiton, or chaetae in polychaetes.

> Contrary to many scientists’ expectations that the creature contains some new special genes that give rise to its bizarre morphology, the team actually discovered that all of the snail’s genes already existed in other mollusks such as squid and pearl oyster

So if life gives you lemons you make lemonade. If life gives you iron sulphide you make pyrites.

I’ve occasionally wondered about how some animals manage to scavenger enough calcium to make a shell, and manage to scavenge enough soluble silicon to make armour of silica.

Interesting result.

mollwollfumble said:

dv said:

https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/unlocking-the-genomic-secrets-of-scaly-foot-snail-334111

Researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have decoded for the first time the genome of the scaly-foot snail, a rare snail inhabited in what scientists called “the origin of life”– deep-sea hydrothermal vents characterized with impossible living conditions. Unraveling the genome of this unique creature will not only shed light on how life evolved billions of years ago, but will also lay the foundation for the discovery of potential remedies offered by these ancient creatures.

Despite an extreme environment characterized by high pressure, high temperature, strong acidity and low oxygen level which resembles living conditions in pre-historic times, hydrothermal vents harbor a diverse number of creatures – most of which have huge potential for biomedical and other applications. Among inhabitants of such a difficult environment, the scaly-foot snail, also known as “Sea Pangolin”, is of particular interest to marine scientists.

The scaly-foot snail is the only extant gastropod (a major invertebrate animal, commonly known as snails and slugs,) alive that possesses armor-like scales – an otherwise very common feature for gastropods during the Cambrian time over 540 million years ago. This snail is also the only organism in the world known to incorporate iron into its exoskeleton. Little is known, however, about its genome and unusual morphology, as the creature is extremely difficult to locate and collect.

Now, a research team led by Prof. Qian Peiyuan, Chair Professor of HKUST’s Department of Ocean Science and Division of Life Science, managed to collect 20 scaly-foot snails at around 2,900 meters below sea level from the Indian Ocean in collaboration with researchers from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), and analyze the snail’s genome sequence.

Contrary to many scientists’ expectations that the creature contains some new special genes that give rise to its bizarre morphology, the team actually discovered that all of the snail’s genes already existed in other mollusks such as squid and pearl oyster, and the snail’s gene sequence has remained almost unchanged throughout its evolution. The 25 transcription factors (a key protein that regulates many downstream gene expression levels) which contribute to the snail’s scale and shell formation, as the team identified, have also contributed to the formation of many other unique hard-parts in Mollusca – such as operculum in gastropods, beak in squid, spicule in chiton, or chaetae in polychaetes.

> Contrary to many scientists’ expectations that the creature contains some new special genes that give rise to its bizarre morphology, the team actually discovered that all of the snail’s genes already existed in other mollusks such as squid and pearl oyster

So if life gives you lemons you make lemonade. If life gives you iron sulphide you make pyrites.

I’ve occasionally wondered about how some animals manage to scavenger enough calcium to make a shell, and manage to scavenge enough soluble silicon to make armour of silica.

Interesting result.

What animals make an armour of silica?

(Serious question.)

Why didn’t that thing collapse in on itself when they brought it to the surface?

Michael V said:

mollwollfumble said:

dv said:

https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/unlocking-the-genomic-secrets-of-scaly-foot-snail-334111

Researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have decoded for the first time the genome of the scaly-foot snail, a rare snail inhabited in what scientists called “the origin of life”– deep-sea hydrothermal vents characterized with impossible living conditions. Unraveling the genome of this unique creature will not only shed light on how life evolved billions of years ago, but will also lay the foundation for the discovery of potential remedies offered by these ancient creatures.

Despite an extreme environment characterized by high pressure, high temperature, strong acidity and low oxygen level which resembles living conditions in pre-historic times, hydrothermal vents harbor a diverse number of creatures – most of which have huge potential for biomedical and other applications. Among inhabitants of such a difficult environment, the scaly-foot snail, also known as “Sea Pangolin”, is of particular interest to marine scientists.

The scaly-foot snail is the only extant gastropod (a major invertebrate animal, commonly known as snails and slugs,) alive that possesses armor-like scales – an otherwise very common feature for gastropods during the Cambrian time over 540 million years ago. This snail is also the only organism in the world known to incorporate iron into its exoskeleton. Little is known, however, about its genome and unusual morphology, as the creature is extremely difficult to locate and collect.

Now, a research team led by Prof. Qian Peiyuan, Chair Professor of HKUST’s Department of Ocean Science and Division of Life Science, managed to collect 20 scaly-foot snails at around 2,900 meters below sea level from the Indian Ocean in collaboration with researchers from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), and analyze the snail’s genome sequence.

Contrary to many scientists’ expectations that the creature contains some new special genes that give rise to its bizarre morphology, the team actually discovered that all of the snail’s genes already existed in other mollusks such as squid and pearl oyster, and the snail’s gene sequence has remained almost unchanged throughout its evolution. The 25 transcription factors (a key protein that regulates many downstream gene expression levels) which contribute to the snail’s scale and shell formation, as the team identified, have also contributed to the formation of many other unique hard-parts in Mollusca – such as operculum in gastropods, beak in squid, spicule in chiton, or chaetae in polychaetes.

> Contrary to many scientists’ expectations that the creature contains some new special genes that give rise to its bizarre morphology, the team actually discovered that all of the snail’s genes already existed in other mollusks such as squid and pearl oyster

So if life gives you lemons you make lemonade. If life gives you iron sulphide you make pyrites.

I’ve occasionally wondered about how some animals manage to scavenger enough calcium to make a shell, and manage to scavenge enough soluble silicon to make armour of silica.

Interesting result.

What animals make an armour of silica?

(Serious question.)

Sponges and … um … diatoms, for starters.

buffy said:

Why didn’t that thing collapse in on itself when they brought it to the surface?

Because solids and liquids don’t compress much.

The deep ocean animals that do disintegrate when brought to the surface are the siphonophores. Because they are colonial organisms, not bound tightly together, and disintegrate when individual cells die.

mollwollfumble said:

Michael V said:

mollwollfumble said:

> Contrary to many scientists’ expectations that the creature contains some new special genes that give rise to its bizarre morphology, the team actually discovered that all of the snail’s genes already existed in other mollusks such as squid and pearl oyster

So if life gives you lemons you make lemonade. If life gives you iron sulphide you make pyrites.

I’ve occasionally wondered about how some animals manage to scavenger enough calcium to make a shell, and manage to scavenge enough soluble silicon to make armour of silica.

Interesting result.

What animals make an armour of silica?

(Serious question.)

Sponges and … um … diatoms, for starters.

Diatoms are plants (algae) IIRC. Sponges and radiolarians have internal skeletons, not armour.

mollwollfumble said:

buffy said:

Why didn’t that thing collapse in on itself when they brought it to the surface?

Because solids and liquids don’t compress much.

The deep ocean animals that do disintegrate when brought to the surface are the siphonophores. Because they are colonial organisms, not bound tightly together, and disintegrate when individual cells die.

Thanks. I was listening to something on the radio a couple of weeks ago about how difficult it is to bring these things up.

and some people think it would be good to mine these vents because not much lives there.

ChrispenEvan said:

and some people think it would be good to mine these vents because not much lives there.

It’s easier to mine them when they are on dry land. eg Broken Hill, Cobar, New England (NSW).

Michael V said:

ChrispenEvan said:

and some people think it would be good to mine these vents because not much lives there.

It’s easier to mine them when they are on dry land. eg Broken Hill, Cobar, New England (NSW).

what about all that dust though????

ChrispenEvan said:

Michael V said:

ChrispenEvan said:

and some people think it would be good to mine these vents because not much lives there.

It’s easier to mine them when they are on dry land. eg Broken Hill, Cobar, New England (NSW).

what about all that dust though????

Easier to spray a bit of water around than to deal with a 4 km depth of it.

Michael V said:

ChrispenEvan said:

Michael V said:

It’s easier to mine them when they are on dry land. eg Broken Hill, Cobar, New England (NSW).

what about all that dust though????

Easier to spray a bit of water around than to deal with a 4 km depth of it.

damn you have an answer for everything!!!

• and some people think it would be good to mine these vents because not much lives there.

Let the snails do the work, that way we only need to harvest the snails…

furious said:

• and some people think it would be good to mine these vents because not much lives there.

Let the snails do the work, that way we only need to harvest the snails…

Who cares, they’re not productive and generally expensive to maintain.

ChrispenEvan said:

Michael V said:

ChrispenEvan said:

what about all that dust though????

Easier to spray a bit of water around than to deal with a 4 km depth of it.

damn you have an answer for everything!!!

:)

Michael V said:

]

What animals make an armour of silica?

(Serious question.)

Although there are marine animals that use silica structurally, I can’t think of any that use it as armour per se.

Michael V said:

mollwollfumble said:

dv said:

https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/unlocking-the-genomic-secrets-of-scaly-foot-snail-334111

Researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have decoded for the first time the genome of the scaly-foot snail, a rare snail inhabited in what scientists called “the origin of life”– deep-sea hydrothermal vents characterized with impossible living conditions. Unraveling the genome of this unique creature will not only shed light on how life evolved billions of years ago, but will also lay the foundation for the discovery of potential remedies offered by these ancient creatures.

Despite an extreme environment characterized by high pressure, high temperature, strong acidity and low oxygen level which resembles living conditions in pre-historic times, hydrothermal vents harbor a diverse number of creatures – most of which have huge potential for biomedical and other applications. Among inhabitants of such a difficult environment, the scaly-foot snail, also known as “Sea Pangolin”, is of particular interest to marine scientists.

The scaly-foot snail is the only extant gastropod (a major invertebrate animal, commonly known as snails and slugs,) alive that possesses armor-like scales – an otherwise very common feature for gastropods during the Cambrian time over 540 million years ago. This snail is also the only organism in the world known to incorporate iron into its exoskeleton. Little is known, however, about its genome and unusual morphology, as the creature is extremely difficult to locate and collect.

Now, a research team led by Prof. Qian Peiyuan, Chair Professor of HKUST’s Department of Ocean Science and Division of Life Science, managed to collect 20 scaly-foot snails at around 2,900 meters below sea level from the Indian Ocean in collaboration with researchers from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), and analyze the snail’s genome sequence.

Contrary to many scientists’ expectations that the creature contains some new special genes that give rise to its bizarre morphology, the team actually discovered that all of the snail’s genes already existed in other mollusks such as squid and pearl oyster, and the snail’s gene sequence has remained almost unchanged throughout its evolution. The 25 transcription factors (a key protein that regulates many downstream gene expression levels) which contribute to the snail’s scale and shell formation, as the team identified, have also contributed to the formation of many other unique hard-parts in Mollusca – such as operculum in gastropods, beak in squid, spicule in chiton, or chaetae in polychaetes.

> Contrary to many scientists’ expectations that the creature contains some new special genes that give rise to its bizarre morphology, the team actually discovered that all of the snail’s genes already existed in other mollusks such as squid and pearl oyster

So if life gives you lemons you make lemonade. If life gives you iron sulphide you make pyrites.

I’ve occasionally wondered about how some animals manage to scavenger enough calcium to make a shell, and manage to scavenge enough soluble silicon to make armour of silica.

Interesting result.

What animals make an armour of silica?

(Serious question.)

the animals that build these

(serious answer)

Saw a thing calledforced grazing on Landline. Bitmof electric fence and vastly overstock land, animals eat everything including 2eeds they might otherwise eat around. Add poo beales and rotate frequently. Rehabilitstes bad land quickly.

SCIENCE said:

Michael V said:

mollwollfumble said:

> Contrary to many scientists’ expectations that the creature contains some new special genes that give rise to its bizarre morphology, the team actually discovered that all of the snail’s genes already existed in other mollusks such as squid and pearl oyster

So if life gives you lemons you make lemonade. If life gives you iron sulphide you make pyrites.

I’ve occasionally wondered about how some animals manage to scavenger enough calcium to make a shell, and manage to scavenge enough soluble silicon to make armour of silica.

Interesting result.

What animals make an armour of silica?

(Serious question.)

the animals that build these

(serious answer)

Fair comment.

AwesomeO said:

Saw a thing calledforced grazing on Landline. Bitmof electric fence and vastly overstock land, animals eat everything including 2eeds they might otherwise eat around. Add poo beales and rotate frequently. Rehabilitstes bad land quickly.

I don’t see the relevance

Spicules are structural elements found in most sponges. They provide structural support and deter predators. Large spicules that are visible to the naked eye are referred to as megascleres, while smaller, microscopic ones are termed microscleres.

Spicules are formed by sclerocytes, which are derived from archaeocytes. The sclerocyte begins with an organic filament, and adds silica to it. Spicules are generally elongated at a rate of 1-10 μm per hour. Once the spicule reaches a certain length it protrudes from the sclerocyte cell body, but remains within the cell’s membrane. On occasion, sclerocytes may begin a second spicule while the first is still in progress.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sponge_spicule

PermeateFree said:

Spicules are structural elements found in most sponges. They provide structural support and deter predators. Large spicules that are visible to the naked eye are referred to as megascleres, while smaller, microscopic ones are termed microscleres.

Spicules are formed by sclerocytes, which are derived from archaeocytes. The sclerocyte begins with an organic filament, and adds silica to it. Spicules are generally elongated at a rate of 1-10 μm per hour. Once the spicule reaches a certain length it protrudes from the sclerocyte cell body, but remains within the cell’s membrane. On occasion, sclerocytes may begin a second spicule while the first is still in progress.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sponge_spicule

Above photo:
Six-pointed spicule from a siliceous glass sponge

ChrispenEvan said:

and some people think it would be good to mine these vents because not much lives there.

Sort of like mining volcanoes on land. Not much point.

dv said:

https://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/unlocking-the-genomic-secrets-of-scaly-foot-snail-334111

Researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have decoded for the first time the genome of the scaly-foot snail, a rare snail inhabited in what scientists called “the origin of life”– deep-sea hydrothermal vents characterized with impossible living conditions. Unraveling the genome of this unique creature will not only shed light on how life evolved billions of years ago, but will also lay the foundation for the discovery of potential remedies offered by these ancient creatures.

Despite an extreme environment characterized by high pressure, high temperature, strong acidity and low oxygen level which resembles living conditions in pre-historic times, hydrothermal vents harbor a diverse number of creatures – most of which have huge potential for biomedical and other applications. Among inhabitants of such a difficult environment, the scaly-foot snail, also known as “Sea Pangolin”, is of particular interest to marine scientists.

The scaly-foot snail is the only extant gastropod (a major invertebrate animal, commonly known as snails and slugs,) alive that possesses armor-like scales – an otherwise very common feature for gastropods during the Cambrian time over 540 million years ago. This snail is also the only organism in the world known to incorporate iron into its exoskeleton. Little is known, however, about its genome and unusual morphology, as the creature is extremely difficult to locate and collect.

Now, a research team led by Prof. Qian Peiyuan, Chair Professor of HKUST’s Department of Ocean Science and Division of Life Science, managed to collect 20 scaly-foot snails at around 2,900 meters below sea level from the Indian Ocean in collaboration with researchers from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), and analyze the snail’s genome sequence.

Contrary to many scientists’ expectations that the creature contains some new special genes that give rise to its bizarre morphology, the team actually discovered that all of the snail’s genes already existed in other mollusks such as squid and pearl oyster, and the snail’s gene sequence has remained almost unchanged throughout its evolution. The 25 transcription factors (a key protein that regulates many downstream gene expression levels) which contribute to the snail’s scale and shell formation, as the team identified, have also contributed to the formation of many other unique hard-parts in Mollusca – such as operculum in gastropods, beak in squid, spicule in chiton, or chaetae in polychaetes.

I wonder how many genomes have been sequenced now.

The situation is quite different from the early days when accuracy was vital. Nowdays, a small number of overlaps (a draft) usually suffices for a low accuracy genome. But see this.

“The human genome project was not able to sequence all the DNA found in human cells. It sequenced only euchromatic regions of the genome, which make up 92.1% of the human genome. The other regions, called heterochromatic, are found in centromeres and telomeres, and were not sequenced under the project. It was declared complete in April 2003. This was reported to cover 99% of the euchromatic human genome with 99.99% accuracy.

The wikipedia keeps separate lists for sequenced eukaryotic protists, plants, fungi and animals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sequenced_animal_genomes

Among the animals: 3 sponges, 2 comb jellies, 15 cnidaria (anemone, coral, hydra, jellyfish), … 5 sharks, a lot of other fish, axolotl, 7 frogs, 4 crocs, 13 squamata, 4 turtles, lots of birds (including perhaps all penguins), platypus, marsupials, a nice selection of placental mammals (including perhaps all bovids), cockroach, termite, 5 beetles, flies, lots of mosquitos and fruit flies, aphids, ants & wasps, lepidoptera, 8 crustaceans, 9 arachnids, 25 molluscs, 10 flatworms, lots of roundworms, and a few others.

Looks like they concentrate on:

• a spread over the whole range of species
• parasites / pathogens
• penguins and bovids.

Among mollusks, the giant squid and the great scallop were sequenced this year. Those from last year included the common octopus.