Proteomic and Transcriptomic Analyses in the Slipper Snail Crepidula fornicata Uncover Shell Matrix Genes Expressed During Adult and Larval Biomineralization.

The gastropod shell is a composite composed of minerals and shell matrix proteins (SMPs). SMPs have been identified by proteomics in many molluscs, but few have been studied in detail. Open questions include (1) what gene regulatory networks regulate SMP expression, (2) what roles individual SMPs play in biomineralization, and (3) how the complement of SMPs changes over development. These questions are best addressed in a species in which gene perturbation studies are available; one such species is the slipper snail, Crepidula fornicata. Here, SEM and pXRD analysis demonstrated that the adult shell of C. fornicata exhibits crossed lamellar microstructure and is composed of aragonite. Using high-throughput proteomics we identified 185 SMPs occluded within the adult shell. Over half of the proteins in the shell proteome have known biomineralization domains, while at least 10% have no homologs in public databases. Differential gene expression analysis identified 20 SMP genes that are up-regulated in the shell-producing mantle tissue. Over half of these 20 SMPs are expressed during development with two, CfSMP1 and CfSMP2, expressed exclusively in the shell gland. Together, the description of the shell microstructure and a list of SMPs now sets the stage for studying the consequences of SMP gene knockdowns in molluscs.

Nutritional status of children in the health district of Cusco, Peru.

This study was conducted to obtain an accurate assessment of the nutritional status of the children in the Cusco, Peru Health District. It is a sample survey of anthropometric measures for 3,383 children under the age of 10 yr. The results showed a significant decline in nutritional status with age (96.88% normal range at ages 1-3 mo to only 37.43% normal at ages 12-24 mo) followed by a gradual improvement in the children above 2 yr (approximately 50% normal). The deficits at the older ages were principally due to low weights-for-age. Nutritional status was also dependent on sex, village altitude, remoteness, and population size (p less than 0.005). Of these, only sex interacted with age. The girls did significantly better at some ages and the boys better, but not significantly so, at other ages.