Proteomic-based comparison between populations of the Great Scallop, Pecten maximus

Comparing populations residing in contrasting environments is an efficient way to decipher how organisms modulate their physiology. Here we present the proteomic signatures of two populations in a non-model marine species, the great scallop Pecten maximus, living in the northern (Hordaland, Norway) and in the center (Brest, France) of this species' latitudinal distribution range. The results showed 38 protein spots significantly differentially accumulated in mantle tissues between the two populations. We could unambiguously identify 11 of the protein spots by Maldi TOF-TOF mass spectrometry. Eight proteins corresponded to different isoforms of actin, two were identified as filamin, another protein related to the cytoskeleton structure, and one was the protease elastase. Our results suggest that scallops from the two populations assayed may modulate their cytoskeleton structures through regulation of intracellular pools of actin and filamin isoforms to better adapt to their environment.

Marine mollusks are non-model organisms that have been poorly studied at the proteomic level, and this article is the first studying the great scallop (P. maximus) at this level. Furthermore, it addresses population proteomics, a new promising field, especially in environmental sciences. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Proteomics of non-model organisms.