环境毒理学

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【科技日报】我国学者首次揭示深海热液动物“以毒攻毒”独特适应机制
Ke Ji Ri Bao· 2025-09-15 03:37
Core Insights - The research team from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has revealed a unique adaptation mechanism of the deep-sea hydrothermal animal, Alvinella pompejana, demonstrating a "poisoning the poison" strategy [1][3] - The findings provide new perspectives for understanding animal adaptive evolution and open new directions for biomineralization research and environmental toxicology [1] Group 1: Research Findings - The study was conducted in the Okinawa Trough hydrothermal area, where Alvinella pompejana thrives in extreme environments with high concentrations of toxic substances like hydrogen sulfide and heavy metals [2] - The species exhibits unique characteristics, including a rare bright yellow coloration due to the presence of yellow granules in its epithelial cells, which are primarily composed of arsenic and sulfur [2] - The research team utilized whole-genome sequencing and proteomics to identify that these granules are enriched with multidrug resistance transport proteins and hemoglobin, which are crucial for arsenic transport and detoxification [2] Group 2: Unique Mechanism - The research proposes that Alvinella pompejana has evolved a unique arsenic-hydrogen sulfide coupling detoxification mechanism, where arsenic is accumulated from high-concentration biofilms and transported to various tissues [3] - Hydrogen sulfide is delivered to detoxifying cells via hemoglobin, leading to the formation of insoluble arsenic trisulfide minerals, effectively locking away the toxins [3] - This discovery marks the first identification of arsenic mineralization within animal cells, highlighting the remarkable evolutionary adaptations of life to environmental challenges [3]