ANTARCTIC WORMS’ ANTIFREEZE “SUPERPOWERS” COME FROM THEIR MICROBIOME
Nowadays, the microbiome is a household term. We are increasingly aware of the trillions of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) residing within us and their profound impact on our physical and mental well-being. However, a recent research, performed on some specific Antarctic organisms, went further and demonstrated that the microbiome also confers “superpowers”.
Everybody knows that in the frigid waters of the Antarctic Ocean, only the toughest animals survive. Some layer up with blubber to keep warm.
Others produce natural cryoprotectants, either antifreeze proteins or smaller molecules, to prevent formation of sharp ice crystals inside their cells. Now, researchers have discovered three marine worm species that take a different approach: outsourcing the production of antifreeze proteins to their microbiome (Sci. Adv. 2024, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk9117).
The team set out on a boat to collect wild polychaetes - marine worms - from the sediment beneath Antarctica’s Terra Nova Bay, said lead researcher Cinzia Corinaldesi, a marine ecologist at the Polytechnic University of Marche (Italy), in a recent interview.
A rare glimpse beneath the Antarctic sea ice, reveals a colorful world
When the team compared the proteomes (that is the complete set of proteins) of the collected worms to the proteomes of the worms’ microbiomes, she says they were thrilled to discover that “the cryoprotective proteins in the polychaetes were not produced by the worms, but by the bacteria.
It’s as if the worms’ microbiomes give them survival “superpowers.”
The idea that the microbiome of an organism is able to confer very specific properties the organism needs to survive is a very intriguing avenue of research and further highlights the increasingly important role of the microbiome in improving our lives.
Yours truly,
Marco Ruggiero