Research
Deep-sea mollusk houses bacteria in tiny 'dragon balls,' revealing a new symbiotic structure
Phys.org ·
The Brief
- Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) report a previously unknown specialized organelle structure in a deep-sea mollusk.
- The mollusk lives at cold seeps in the South China Sea.
- The structure is dedicated to maintaining a symbiotic relationship with bacteria, and the source describes it as tiny 'dragon balls'.
Why it matters
It describes a new cellular structure that supports a symbiosis between an animal and bacteria at cold seeps, which may matter for research on how host-microbe partnerships are organized in cells.
Who’s affected
- marine biologists and microbiologists
- cell biologists studying organelles and symbiosis
- #deep-sea biology
- #symbiosis
- #organelles
- #cold seeps
- #microbiology
Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have discovered a previously unknown specialized organelle structure in a deep-sea mollusk living at cold seeps in the South China Sea. Dedicated to maintaining bacterial symbiosis, this newly identified…
Timeline
Discovery of the organelle structure announced by HKUST researchers
Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology
Deep-sea mollusk houses bacteria in tiny 'dragon balls,' revealing a new symbiotic structure