Search Results (8)

Marine sponges are known to be associated with diverse and functionally specialized microbial consortia that are implicated in host metabolism, biogeochemical cycling, and bioactive compounds production. The microbiome diversity and composition of nine sponge species from the remote waters of Gageodo Island, Korea, were evaluated via full-length 16S rRNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses. Each sponge species harbored a distinct microbial community, with differences potentially influenced by ecological factors, evolutionary history, and host–symbiont associations. The dominant microbial phyla identified across the sponge samples include Pseudomonadota, Cyanobacteriota, Acidobacteriota, Planctomycetota, and Chloroflexota, which were widely distributed across samples. In addition, the classes Gammaproteobacteria, Acidobacteriae, and Anaerolineae appeared as characteristic groups, being particularly abundant in specific sponge samples. Community structures ranged from dominance by one or two abundant taxa to more taxonomically diverse and evenly distributed microbiomes. A notable proportion of sequences were unassignable to known taxa, suggesting the occurrence of previously uncharacterized microbial lineages in these sponges. By combining host species identification with microbiome profiling, this study provides new foundations on the microbial ecology of Korean sponge holobionts, providing higher-resolution taxonomic classification, improved diversity estimates, and enhanced characterization of evolutionary relationships among symbionts. These findings may support future investigations into host–microbe interactions, potential ecological functions, and the management of marine genetic resources. Full article

Marine sponges possess complex metabolic systems that support their growth, physiology, and ecological interactions. However, the primary metabolic capacity of the sponge hosts remains incompletely characterized at the molecular level. In this study, we performed de novo transcriptome sequencing of a pooled sample of three individuals of Xestospongia sp. collected in Vietnam, using a high-throughput Illumina sequencing system, to characterize the host-derived metabolic pathways. A total of 43,278 unigenes were assembled, of which 69.15% were functionally annotated using multiple public databases. Functional annotation revealed a broad repertoire of genes associated with core metabolic pathways, including carbohydrate, lipid, and sterol metabolisms, as well as cofactor-related processes. Specifically, complete pathways involved in folate biosynthesis, terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q) metabolism, and steroid biosynthesis were identified, reflecting the independent metabolic framework of the sponge host. Several highly expressed genes related to these pathways, including COQ7, ERG6, NUDX1, QDPR, and PCBD, were detected, and their expression patterns were confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR. Furthermore, protein-based phylogenetic analyses indicated that these genes are closely related to homologous proteins from other sponge species, supporting their host origin. This study provides the first comprehensive transcriptomic resource for Xestospongia sp. from Vietnam, and offers baseline molecular insights into the primary metabolic capacity of the sponge host. These data establish a foundation for future investigations of sponge physiology and host–microbe metabolic partitioning. Full article

Freshwater sponges (Spongillida: Demospongiae), including more than 240 described species, are globally distributed in continental waters (except for Antarctica), where they cover both natural and artificial surfaces. However, fragmentary studies have targeted their microbiome, making it difficult to test hypotheses about sponge-microbe specificity and metabolic relationships, along with the environmental factors playing key roles in structuring the associated microbial communities. To date, particular attention has been paid to sponges (family Lubomirskiidae) that are endemic to Lake Baikal. Few other freshwater sponge species (e.g., Ephydatia spp., Eunapius spp., and Spongilla lacustris), from lakes and rivers spanning from Europe to South and North America, have been targeted for microbiological studies. Representatives of the phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria largely predominated, and high differences were reported between the microbiome of freshwater and marine sponges. Several bacterial strains isolated from freshwater sponges can produce bioactive compounds, mainly showing antibiotic activities, with potential application in biotechnology. Understanding the roles played by sponge microbiomes in freshwater ecosystems is still in its infancy and has yet to be clarified to disentangle the ecological and evolutionary significance of these largely under-investigated microbial communities. This review was aimed at providing the main available information on the composition and biotechnological potential of prokaryotic communities associated with healthy freshwater sponges, as a neglected component of the global sponge microbiome, to stimulate researchers interested in the field. Full article

The present work focuses on palaeogeographic reconstruction of shallow-water carbonate deposition in the Outer Western Carpathian Tethys. Platform deposits are preserved only as a component of turbidites and olistostromes, and reconstructions of these platforms are based on clastic material redistributed into slopes and deep basins and occurring among the Outer Carpathian nappes. Similar platforms were also present on the Tethys margins. These reconstructions were performed using the global models of plate tectonics. Several ridges covered by carbonate platforms developed in that area during the latest Jurassic–Palaeogene times. Three main shallow-water facies associations—Štramberk, Urgonian, and Lithothamnion–bryozoan—could be distinguished. The Tithonian–lowermost Cretaceous Štramberk facies is related to early, synrift–postrift stage of the development of the Silesian Domain. Facies that are diversified, narrow, shallow-water platforms, rich in corals, sponges, green algae, echinoderms, foraminifera, microencrusters, and microbes are typical of this stage. The Urgonian facies developed mainly on the south margin of the Outer Carpathian basins and is characterised by organodetritic limestones built of bivalves (including rudists), larger benthic foraminifera, crinoids, echinoids, and corals. Since the Paleocene, in all the Western Outer Carpathian sedimentary areas, Lithothamnion–bryozoan facies developed and adapted to unstable conditions. Algae–bryozoan covers originating on the siliciclastic substrate are typical of these facies. This type of deposition was preserved practically until the final stage in the evolution of the Outer Carpathian basins. Full article

Marine sponges are excellent examples of invertebrate–microbe symbioses. In this holobiont, the partnership has elegantly evolved by either transmitting key microbial associates through the host germline and/or capturing microorganisms from the surrounding seawater. We report here on the prokaryotic microbiota during different developmental stages of Plakina cyanorosea and their surrounding environmental samples by a 16S rRNA metabarcoding approach. In comparison with their source adults, larvae housed slightly richer and more diverse microbial communities, which are structurally more related to the environmental microbiota. In addition to the thaumarchaeal Nitrosopumilus, parental sponges were broadly dominated by Alpha- and Gamma-proteobacteria, while the offspring were particularly enriched in the Vibrionales, Alteromonodales, Enterobacterales orders and the Clostridia and Bacteroidia classes. An enterobacterial operational taxonomic unit (OTU) was the dominant member of the strict core microbiota. The most abundant and unique OTUs were not significantly enriched amongst the microbiomes from host specimens included in the sponge microbiome project. In a wider context, Oscarella and Plakina are the sponge genera with higher divergence in their associated microbiota compared to their Homoscleromorpha counterparts. Our results indicate that P. cyanorosea is a low microbial abundance sponge (LMA), which appears to heavily depend on the horizontal transmission of its microbial partners that likely help the sponge host in the adaptation to its habitat. Full article

Marine invertebrates, such as sponges, tunicates and cnidarians (zoantharians and scleractinian corals), form functional assemblages, known as holobionts, with numerous microbes. This type of species-specific symbiotic association can be a repository of myriad valuable low molecular weight organic compounds, bioactive peptides and enzymes. The zoantharian Protopalythoa variabilis (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) is one such example of a marine holobiont that inhabits the coastal reefs of the tropical Atlantic coast and is an interesting source of secondary metabolites and biologically active polypeptides. In the present study, we analyzed the entire holo-transcriptome of P. variabilis, looking for enzyme precursors expressed in the zoantharian-microbiota assemblage that are potentially useful as industrial biocatalysts and biopharmaceuticals. In addition to hundreds of predicted enzymes that fit into the classes of hydrolases, oxidoreductases and transferases that were found, novel enzyme precursors with multiple activities in single structures and enzymes with incomplete Enzyme Commission numbers were revealed. Our results indicated the predictive expression of thirteen multifunctional enzymes and 694 enzyme sequences with partially characterized activities, distributed in 23 sub-subclasses. These predicted enzyme structures and activities can prospectively be harnessed for applications in diverse areas of industrial and pharmaceutical biotechnology. Full article

Sponges are the most prolific marine organisms with respect to their arsenal of bioactive compounds including antimicrobials. However, the majority of these substances are probably not produced by the sponge itself, but rather by bacteria or fungi that are associated with their host. This review for the first time provides a comprehensive overview of antimicrobial compounds that are known to be produced by sponge-associated microbes. We discuss the current state-of-the-art by grouping the bioactive compounds produced by sponge-associated microorganisms in four categories: antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and antiprotozoal compounds. Based on in vitro activity tests, identified targets of potent antimicrobial substances derived from sponge-associated microbes include: human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) (2-undecyl-4-quinolone, sorbicillactone A and chartarutine B); influenza A (H1N1) virus (truncateol M); nosocomial Gram positive bacteria (thiopeptide YM-266183, YM-266184, mayamycin and kocurin); Escherichia coli (sydonic acid), Chlamydia trachomatis (naphthacene glycoside SF2446A2); Plasmodium spp. (manzamine A and quinolone 1); Leishmania donovani (manzamine A and valinomycin); Trypanosoma brucei (valinomycin and staurosporine); Candida albicans and dermatophytic fungi (saadamycin, 5,7-dimethoxy-4-p-methoxylphenylcoumarin and YM-202204). Thirty-five bacterial and 12 fungal genera associated with sponges that produce antimicrobials were identified, with Streptomyces, Pseudovibrio, Bacillus, Aspergillus and Penicillium as the prominent producers of antimicrobial compounds. Furthemore culture-independent approaches to more comprehensively exploit the genetic richness of antimicrobial compound-producing pathways from sponge-associated bacteria are addressed. Full article

The subject of this review is the biodiversity of marine sponges and associated microbes which have been reported to produce therapeutically important compounds, along with the contextual information on their geographic distribution. Class Demospongiae and the orders Halichondrida, Poecilosclerida and Dictyoceratida are the richest sources of these compounds. Among the microbial associates, members of the bacterial phylum Actinobacteria and fungal division Ascomycota have been identified to be the dominant producers of therapeutics. Though the number of bacterial associates outnumber the fungal associates, the documented potential of fungi to produce clinically active compounds is currently more important than that of bacteria. Interestingly, production of a few identical compounds by entirely different host-microbial associations has been detected in both terrestrial and marine environments. In the Demospongiae, microbial association is highly specific and so to the production of compounds. Besides, persistent production of bioactive compounds has also been encountered in highly specific host-symbiont associations. Though spatial and temporal variations are known to have a marked effect on the quality and quantity of bioactive compounds, only a few studies have covered these dimensions. The need to augment production of these compounds through tissue culture and mariculture has also been stressed. The reviewed database of these compounds is available at www.niobioinformatics.in/drug.php. Full article