Genomics and transcriptomics of the green mussel explain the durability of its byssus

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 5992 - 11
• Main Authors: Inoue, Koji, Yoshioka, Yuki, Tanaka, Hiroyuki, Kinjo, Azusa, Sassa, Mieko, Ueda, Ikuo, Shinzato, Chuya, Toyoda, Atsushi, Itoh, Takehiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 16.03.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/443; 631/45; Animals; Computational Biology - methods; Gene Expression Profiling - methods; Gene Expression Regulation; Genome; Genomics - methods; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Humanities and Social Sciences; Lectins; Lysozyme; Marine ecosystems; Molecular Sequence Annotation; Mollusks; multidisciplinary; Perna - classification; Perna - genetics; Perna - physiology; Phylogeny; Proteinase; Proteinase inhibitors; Proteins; Proteins - metabolism; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Structural proteins; Transcriptome
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84948-6

Mussels, which occupy important positions in marine ecosystems, attach tightly to underwater substrates using a proteinaceous holdfast known as the byssus, which is tough, durable, and resistant to enzymatic degradation. Although various byssal proteins have been identified, the mechanisms by which it achieves such durability are unknown. Here we report comprehensive identification of genes involved in byssus formation through whole-genome and foot-specific transcriptomic analyses of the green mussel, Perna viridis . Interestingly, proteins encoded by highly expressed genes include proteinase inhibitors and defense proteins, including lysozyme and lectins, in addition to structural proteins and protein modification enzymes that probably catalyze polymerization and insolubilization. This assemblage of structural and protective molecules constitutes a multi-pronged strategy to render the byssus highly resistant to environmental insults.