The Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis: a novel model for developmental studies in mollusks

Abstract

A model organism in developmental biology is defined by its experimental amenability and by resources created for the model system by the scientific community. For the most powerful invertebrate models, the combination of both has already yielded a thorough understanding of developmental processes. However, the number of developmental model systems is still limited, and their phylogenetic distribution heavily biased. Members of one of the largest animal lineages, the Spiralia, for example, have long been neglected. In order to remedy this shortcoming, we produced a detailed developmental transcriptome for the bivalve mollusk Mytilus galloprovincialis, and expanded the list of experimental protocols available for this species. Our high-quality transcriptome allowed us to identify transcriptomic signatures of developmental progression and to perform a first comparison with another bivalve mollusk, the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. To allow co-labelling studies, we optimized and combined protocols for immunohistochemistry and hybridization chain reaction to create high-resolution co-expression maps of developmental genes. The resources and protocols described here represent an enormous boost for the establishment of Mytilus galloprovincialis as an alternative model system in developmental biology.

From Personal Care to Coastal Concerns: Investigating Polyethylene Glycol Impact on Mussel’s Antioxidant, Physiological, and Cellular Responses

“…To investigate the toxicity of potentially toxic compounds contained in PPCP formulations, such as PEG, in aquatic ecosystems, M. galloprovincialis has proven to be a suitable sentinel organism [ 24 , 36 , 37 ] and the use of haemolymph, DG cells, biochemical parameters, and oxidative stress resulting in being suitable endpoints for toxicological investigations [ 38 , 39 ]. Our investigation showed a significant interaction between PEG and M. galloprovincialis , culminating in a notable decrease in the vitality of both haemocytes and hepatocytes.…”

“…For the reasons mentioned above, the main purpose of the present study was to further investigate PEG-induced toxicity in marine non-target organisms, since aquatic ecosystems represent one of the major sinks of ECs. The Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis ) has been chosen as a model due to its biological features, such as widespread distribution, bioindicator capabilities, filter-feeding mechanism, resilience, etc., as well as for its suitable response to anthropogenic pressures [ 23 , 24 , 25 ]. The effects of PEG exposure were assessed by examining the potential physiological, antioxidant, and cellular responses in the mussels’ haemolymph, gills, and digestive gland (DG), as they represent the first line of defence (haemocytes and gills) and the primary detoxifying organ (DG).…”