Scientists finally know how a gelatinous deep-sea creature keeps its cells from paralysis under pressure
“For some deep-sea ctenophores, their cell membranes are literally held together by pressure,” says the new study’s lead author Jacob Winnikoff, a deep-sea biochemist at Harvard University.. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
Comparison of the animals’ body tissues revealed that the deeper a comb jelly lives, the higher its level of PPE, short for plasmenyl phosphatidylethanolamine—a variety of cone-shaped phospholipid . Using a particle accelerator to map out PPE’s structure, Winnikoff and his team discovered that the molecule is a more dramatically flared cone than any other phospholipid ever documented. PPE’s shape is exaggerated enough, the researchers found via modeling, to stay a cone even under compression.that high pressure to keep their membranes intact.
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