Characterization of the population of the sulfur-oxidizing symbiont of Codakia orbicularis (Bivalvia, Lucinidae) by single-cell analyses.

ABSTRACT: We investigated the characteristics of the sulfur-oxidizing symbiont hosted in the gills of Codakia orbicularis, a bivalve living in shallow marine tropical environments. Special attention was paid to describing the heterogeneity of the population by using single-cell approaches including flow cytometry (FCM) and different microscopic techniques and by analyzing a cell size fractionation experiment. Up to seven different subpopulations were distinguished by FCM based on nucleic acid content and light side scattering of the cells. The cell size analysis of symbionts showed that the symbiotic population was very heterogeneous in size, i.e., ranging from 0.5 to 5 mum in length, with variable amounts of intracellular sulfur. The side-scatter signal analyzed by FCM, which is often taken as a pr

SUBMITTER: Caro A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1855656 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature