Abstract

Mytilus californianus, also known as the California mussel, is a marine bivalve that is abundant along the West coast from Alaska to southern Baja California. They mainly reside in the upper-middle intertidal zone and cling to pier pilings and surf exposed rocks. They create multi-layered beds, which form a habitat for algae and many species of invertebrates. Intertidal mussels live in a naturally dynamic environment. It has previously been reported (Connor and Gracey, 2011) that the 24-hour circadian (day to night) rhythm of the intertidal mussel Mytilus californianus is primarily responsible for its rhythmic gene expression, as opposed to the 12.4-hour tidal cycles. Because tidal cycles challenge intertidal mussels through heat stress, salinity stress, hypoxia, and food availability, the dominance of the circadian cycle is surprising. However, transcriptomics may fail to detect up to half of the variation in the proteins that comprise the final functional phenotype of the organism. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, we aimed to identify whether the proteome—the protein expression—of this organism also followed the same circadian rhythmic expression as its transcriptome.

Disciplines

Biology | Integrative Biology | Marine Biology | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Mentor

Lars Tomanek

Lab site

California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly SLO)

Funding Acknowledgement

This material is based upon work supported by the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0952013. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation or the National Science Foundation. This project has also been made possible with support of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. The STAR program is administered by the Cal Poly Center for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education (CESaME) on behalf of the California State University (CSU).

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URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/star/303

 

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