Metabolic co-dependence drives the evolutionarily ancient symbiosis.

Many multicellular organisms rely on symbiotic associations for support of metabolic activity, protection, or energy. Understanding the mechanisms involved in controlling such interactions remains a major challenge. In an unbiased approach we identified key players that control the symbiosis between and its photosynthetic symbiont sp.

The mitochondrial genome sequence of a deep-sea, hydrothermal vent limpet, Lepetodrilus nux, presents a novel vetigastropod gene arrangement.

While mitochondrial (mt) genomes are used extensively for comparative and evolutionary genomics, few mt genomes of deep-sea species, including hydrothermal vent species, have been determined. The Genus Lepetodrilus is a major deep-sea gastropod taxon that occurs in various deep-sea ecosystems. Using next-generation sequencing, we determined nearly the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Lepetodrilus nux, which inhabits hydrothermal vents in the Okinawa Trough.

The Lingula genome provides insights into brachiopod evolution and the origin of phosphate biomineralization.

The evolutionary origins of lingulid brachiopods and their calcium phosphate shells have been obscure. Here we decode the 425-Mb genome of Lingula anatina to gain insights into brachiopod evolution. Comprehensive phylogenomic analyses place Lingula close to molluscs, but distant from annelids.

Cross-species, amplifiable microsatellite markers for neoverrucid barnacles from deep-sea hydrothermal vents developed using next-generation sequencing.

Barnacles of the genus Neoverruca are abundant near deep-sea hydrothermal vents of the northwestern Pacific Ocean, and are useful for understanding processes of population formation and maintenance of deep-sea vent faunas. Using next-generation sequencing, we isolated 12 polymorphic microsatellite loci from Neoverruca sp., collected in the Okinawa Trough.