Vertical Transmission of Diverse Microbes in the Tropical Sponge Corticium sp.

Sponges are host to extremely diverse bacterial communities, some of which appear to be spatiotemporally stable, though how these consistent associations are assembled and maintained from one sponge generation to the next is not well understood. Here we report that a diverse group of microbes, including both bacteria and archaea, is consistently present in aggregates within embryos of the tropical sponge Corticium sp. The major taxonomic groups represented in bacterial 16S rRNA sequences amplified from the embryos are similar to those previously described in a variety of marine sponges. Three selected bacterial taxa, representing proteobacteria, actinobacteria, and a clade including recently described sponge-associated bacteria, were tested and found to be present in all adult samples tested over a 3-year period and in the embryos throughout development. Specific probes were used in fluorescence in situ hybridization to localize cells of the three types in the embryos and mesohyl. This study confirms the vertical transmission of multiple, phylogenetically diverse microorganisms in a marine sponge, and our findings lay the foundation for future work on exploring vertical transmission of specific, yet diverse, microbial assemblages in marine sponges.     

Diversity and biotechnological potential of the sponge-associated microbial consortia

Sponges are well known to harbor diverse microbes and represent a significant source of bioactive natural compounds derived from the marine environment. Recent studies of the microbial communities of marine sponges have uncovered previously undescribed species and an array of new chemical compounds. In contrast to natural compounds, studies on enzymes with biotechnological potential from microbes associated with sponges are rare although enzymes with novel activities that have potential medical and biotechnological applications have been identified from sponges and microbes associated with sponges. Both bacteria and fungi have been isolated from a wide range of marine sponge, but the diversity and symbiotic relationship of bacteria has been studied to a greater extent than that of fungi isolated from sponges. Molecular methods (e.g., rDNA, DGGE, and FISH) have revealed a great diversity of the unculturable bacteria and archaea. Metagenomic approaches have identified interesting metabolic pathways responsible for the production of natural compounds and may provide a new avenue to explore the microbial diversity and biotechnological potential of marine sponges. In addition, other eukaryotic organisms such as diatoms and unicellular algae from marine sponges are also being described using these molecular techniques. Many natural compounds derived from sponges are suspected to be of bacterial origin, but only a few studies have provided convincing evidence for symbiotic producers in sponges. Microbes in sponges exist in different associations with sponges including the true symbiosis. Fungi derived from marine sponges represent the single most prolific source of diverse bioactive marine fungal compounds found to date. There is a developing interest in determining the true diversity of fungi present in marine sponges and the nature of the association. Molecular methods will allow scientists to more accurately identify fungal species and determine actual diversity of sponge-associated fungi. This is especially important as greater cooperation between bacteriologists, mycologists, natural product chemists, and bioengineers is needed to provide a well-coordinated effort in studying the diversity, ecology, physiology, and association between bacteria, fungi, and other organisms present in marine sponges.     

繁茂膜海绵细胞内微生物多样性的研究

采用海绵组织离散、细胞分离的方法,对繁茂膜海绵细胞进行纯化、胞内微生物DNA提取,构建了繁茂膜海绵细胞内微生物的16SrDNA克隆,对其遗传多样性进行了分析,发现海绵细胞内微生物16SrDNA序列主要归类于紫硫细菌门(Proteobacteria)中的α-亚门、γ-亚门和浮霉菌门(Planctomycetes)等类群。与研磨直接提取海绵组织DNA所得海绵组织中总微生物多样性相比,海绵细胞内存在丰富的浮霉菌(23%),说明浮霉菌主要存在于海绵细胞胞内。     

Pyrosequencing Reveals Diverse and Distinct Sponge-Specific Microbial Communities in Sponges from a Single Geographical Location in Irish Waters

Marine sponges are host to numerically vast and phylogenetically diverse bacterial communities, with 26 major phyla to date having been found in close association with sponge species worldwide. Analyses of these microbial communities have revealed many sponge-specific novel genera and species. These endosymbiotic microbes are believed to play significant roles in sponge physiology including the production of an array of bioactive secondary metabolites. Here, we report on the use of culture-based and culture-independent (pyrosequencing) techniques to elucidate the bacterial community profiles associated with the marine sponges Raspailia ramosa and Stelligera stuposa sampled from a single geographical location in Irish waters and with ambient seawater. To date, little is known about the microbial ecology of sponges of these genera. Culture isolation grossly underestimated sponge-associated bacterial diversity. Four bacterial phyla (Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria) were represented amongst ~200 isolates, compared with ten phyla found using pyrosequencing. Long average read lengths of ~430 bp (V1-V3 region of 16S rRNA gene) allowed for robust resolution of sequences to genus level. Bacterial OTUs (2,109 total), at 95% sequence similarity, from ten bacterial phyla were recovered from R. ramosa, 349 OTUs were identified in S. stuposa representing eight phyla, while 533 OTUs from six phyla were found in surrounding seawater. Bacterial communities differed significantly between sponge species and the seawater. Analysis of the data for sponge-specific taxa revealed that 2.8% of classified reads from the sponge R. ramosa can be defined as sponge-specific, while 26% of S. stuposa sequences represent sponge-specific bacteria. Novel sponge-specific clusters were identified, whereas the majority of previously reported sponge-specific clusters (e.g. Poribacteria) were absent from these sponge species. This deep and robust analysis provides further evidence that the microbial communities associated with marine sponge species are highly diverse and divergent from one another and appear to be host-selected through as yet unknown processes.     

Molecular Microbial Diversity Survey of Sponge Reproductive Stages and Mechanistic Insights into Vertical Transmission of Microbial Symbionts

Many marine sponges, hereafter termed high-microbial-abundance (HMA) sponges, harbor large and complex microbial consortia, including bacteria and archaea, within their mesohyl matrices. To investigate vertical microbial transmission as a strategy to maintain these complex associations, an extensive phylogenetic analysis was carried out with the 16S rRNA gene sequences of reproductive (n = 136) and adult (n = 88) material from five different Caribbean species, as well as all published 16S rRNA gene sequences from sponge offspring (n = 116). The overall microbial diversity, including members of at least 13 bacterial phyla and one archaeal phylum, in sponge reproductive stages is high. In total, 28 vertical-transmission clusters, defined as clusters of phylotypes that are found both in adult sponges and their offspring, were identified. They are distributed among at least 10 bacterial phyla and one archaeal phylum, demonstrating that the complex adult microbial community is collectively transmitted through reproductive stages. Indications of host-species specificity and cospeciation were not observed. Mechanistic insights were provided using a combined electron microscopy and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis, and an indirect mechanism of vertical transmission via nurse cells is proposed for the oviparous sponge Ectyoplasia ferox. Based on these phylogenetic and mechanistic results, we suggest the following symbiont transmission model: entire microbial consortia are vertically transmitted in sponges. While vertical transmission is clearly present, additional environmental transfer between adult individuals of the same and even different species might obscure possible signals of cospeciation. We propose that associations of HMA sponges with highly sponge-specific microbial communities are maintained by this combination of vertical and horizontal symbiont transmission.     

Characterization of Bacterial,Archaeal and Eukaryote Symbionts from Antarctic Sponges Reveals a High Diversity at a Three-Domain Level and a Particular Signature for This Ecosystem

Sponge-associated microbial communities include members from the three domains of life. In the case of bacteria, they are diverse, host specific and different from the surrounding seawater. However, little is known about the diversity and specificity of Eukarya and Archaea living in association with marine sponges. This knowledge gap is even greater regarding sponges from regions other than temperate and tropical environments. In Antarctica, marine sponges are abundant and important members of the benthos, structuring the Antarctic marine ecosystem. In this study, we used high throughput ribosomal gene sequencing to investigate the three-domain diversity and community composition from eight different Antarctic sponges. Taxonomic identification reveals that they belong to families Acarnidae, Chalinidae, Hymedesmiidae, Hymeniacidonidae, Leucettidae, Microcionidae, and Myxillidae. Our study indicates that there are different diversity and similarity patterns between bacterial/archaeal and eukaryote microbial symbionts from these Antarctic marine sponges, indicating inherent differences in how organisms from different domains establish symbiotic relationships. In general, when considering diversity indices and number of phyla detected, sponge-associated communities are more diverse than the planktonic communities. We conclude that three-domain microbial communities from Antarctic sponges are different from surrounding planktonic communities, expanding previous observations for Bacteria and including the Antarctic environment. Furthermore, we reveal differences in the composition of the sponge associated bacterial assemblages between Antarctic and tropical-temperate environments and the presence of a highly complex microbial eukaryote community, suggesting a particular signature for Antarctic sponges, different to that reported from other ecosystems.     

Assessing the complex sponge microbiota: core,variable and species-specific bacterial communities in marine sponges

Marine sponges are well known for their associations with highly diverse, yet very specific and often highly similar microbiota. The aim of this study was to identify potential bacterial sub-populations in relation to sponge phylogeny and sampling sites and to define the core bacterial community. 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon pyrosequencing was applied to 32 sponge species from eight locations around the world''s oceans, thereby generating 2567 operational taxonomic units (OTUs at the 97% sequence similarity level) in total and up to 364 different OTUs per sponge species. The taxonomic richness detected in this study comprised 25 bacterial phyla with Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi and Poribacteria being most diverse in sponges. Among these phyla were nine candidate phyla, six of them found for the first time in sponges. Similarity comparison of bacterial communities revealed no correlation with host phylogeny but a tropical sub-population in that tropical sponges have more similar bacterial communities to each other than to subtropical sponges. A minimal core bacterial community consisting of very few OTUs (97%, 95% and 90%) was found. These microbes have a global distribution and are probably acquired via environmental transmission. In contrast, a large species-specific bacterial community was detected, which is represented by OTUs present in only a single sponge species. The species-specific bacterial community is probably mainly vertically transmitted. It is proposed that different sponges contain different bacterial species, however, these bacteria are still closely related to each other explaining the observed similarity of bacterial communities in sponges in this and previous studies. This global analysis represents the most comprehensive study of bacterial symbionts in sponges to date and provides novel insights into the complex structure of these unique associations.     

Stability of Sponge-Associated Bacteria over Large Seasonal Shifts in Temperature and Irradiance

Complex microbiomes reside in marine sponges and consist of diverse microbial taxa, including functional guilds that may contribute to host metabolism and coastal marine nutrient cycles. Our understanding of these symbiotic systems is based primarily on static accounts of sponge microbiota, while their temporal dynamics across seasonal cycles remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated temporal variation in bacterial symbionts of three sympatric sponges (Ircinia spp.) over 1.5 years in the northwestern (NW) Mediterranean Sea, using replicated terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and clone library analyses of bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences. Bacterial symbionts in Ircinia spp. exhibited host species-specific structure and remarkable stability throughout the monitoring period, despite large fluctuations in temperature and irradiance. In contrast, seawater bacteria exhibited clear seasonal shifts in community structure, indicating that different ecological constraints act on free-living and on symbiotic marine bacteria. Symbiont profiles were dominated by persistent, sponge-specific bacterial taxa, notably affiliated with phylogenetic lineages capable of photosynthesis, nitrite oxidation, and sulfate reduction. Variability in the sponge microbiota was restricted to rare symbionts and occurred most prominently in warmer seasons, coincident with elevated thermal regimes. Seasonal stability of the sponge microbiota supports the hypothesis of host-specific, stable associations between bacteria and sponges. Further, the core symbiont profiles revealed in this study provide an empirical baseline for diagnosing abnormal shifts in symbiont communities. Considering that these sponges have suffered recent, episodic mass mortalities related to thermal stresses, this study contributes to the development of model sponge-microbe symbioses for assessing the link between symbiont fluctuations and host health.     

Sponge-associated bacteria are strictly maintained in two closely related but geographically distant sponge hosts

The giant barrel sponges Xestospongia muta and Xestospongia testudinaria are ubiquitous in tropical reefs of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, respectively. They are key species in their respective environments and are hosts to diverse assemblages of bacteria. These two closely related sponges from different oceans provide a unique opportunity to examine the evolution of sponge-associated bacterial communities. Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene sequences from X. muta and X. testudinaria showed little divergence between the two species. A detailed analysis of the bacterial communities associated with these sponges, comprising over 900 full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences, revealed remarkable similarity in the bacterial communities of the two species. Both sponge-associated communities include sequences found only in the two Xestospongia species, as well as sequences found also in other sponge species and are dominated by three bacterial groups, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria. While these groups consistently dominate the bacterial communities revealed by 16S rRNA gene-based analysis of sponge-associated bacteria, the depth of sequencing undertaken in this study revealed clades of bacteria specifically associated with each of the two Xestospongia species, and also with the genus Xestospongia, that have not been found associated with other sponge species or other ecosystems. This study, comparing the bacterial communities associated with closely related but geographically distant sponge hosts, gives new insight into the intimate relationships between marine sponges and some of their bacterial symbionts.     

Deep sequencing reveals diversity and community structure of complex microbiota in five Mediterranean sponges

Marine sponges harbor dense microbial communities of exceptionally high diversity. Despite the complexity of sponge microbiota, microbial communities in different sponges seem to be remarkably similar. In this study, we used a subset of a previously established 454 amplicon pyrosequencing dataset (Schmitt and Taylor, unpublished data). Five Mediterranean sponges were chosen including the model sponge Aplysina aerophoba to determine the extent of uniformity by defining (i) the core microbial community, consisting of bacteria found in all sponges, (ii) the variable microbial community, consisting of bacteria found in 2–4 sponges, and (iii) the species-specific community, consisting of bacteria found in only one sponge. Using the enormous sequencing depth of pyrosequencing the diversity in each of the five sponges was extended to up to 15 different bacterial phyla per sponge with Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi being most diverse in each of the five sponges. Similarity comparison of bacteria on phylum and phylotype level revealed most similar communities in A. aerophoba and A. cavernicola and the most dissimilar community in Pseudocorticium jarrei. A surprising minimal core bacterial community was found when distribution of 97% operational taxonomic units (OTUs) was analyzed. Core, variable, and species-specific communities were comprised of 2, 26, and 72% of all OTUs, respectively. This indicates that each sponge contains a large set of unique bacteria and shares only few bacteria with other sponges. However, host species-specific bacteria are probably still closely related to each other explaining the observed similarity among bacterial communities in sponges.     

基于PCR-DGGE指纹的南海海绵共附生细菌优势种群的揭示与系统发育分析

采用PCR-DGGE指纹、克隆测序和系统发育分析技术较系统地对我国南海贪婪倔海绵(Dysidea avara)和澳大利亚厚皮海绵(Craniella australiensis)共附生的优势细菌进行了研究。研究发现变形菌门(Proteobacteria)细菌是这两种海绵中的主要优势细菌,贪婪倔海绵中的变形菌包含了α、β、γ三种类型,而澳大利亚厚皮海绵中仅有γ一种类型。两种海绵都有拟杆菌(Bacteroidetes),但是具体的种类不同。这些细菌都是第一次在海绵中被发现。澳大利亚厚皮海绵共附生的优势细菌还包括放线菌属(Actinobacterium)及厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)细菌,菌群多样性要比贪婪倔海绵的丰富。两种海绵尽管来自于同一海域但其共附生优势细菌的组成明显不同,这说明海绵共附生微生物具有宿主特异性。     

Bacterial diversity in the breadcrumb sponge Halichondria panicea (Pallas)

The aim of this study was to investigate the diversity and variability of bacterial communities associated with the marine sponge Halichondria panicea with respect to tissue compartmentalization as well as seasonal and small-scale geographic variation. Diversity of microorganisms in sponges was investigated recently, but work on the variability and succession of associated bacterial communities is rare. Despite some information on Pacific and Mediterranean sponges, it is still uncertain whether bacteria and sponges are specifically associated. In this study, H. panicea specimens were sampled throughout the year at different stations around the island of Helgoland (North Sea) and investigated using molecular tools. The bacterial community associated with H. panicea was diverse, consisting of one denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) band occurring in most 'tissue' samples and additional variable bands. Variability was observed between different sponge fractions (i.e. the aquiferous system and the 'tissue'), sampling locations, and sampling dates. A PCR-DGGE specific for the Roseobacter group of marine Alphaproteobacteria displayed low diversity and a marked similarity between all samples. Phylogenetic analysis also pointed to specific Alphaproteobacteria of the Roseobacter group, which was predominant in most sponge 'tissue' samples. We conclude that H. panicea harbour a specific Roseobacter population with varying bacterial co-populations occurring seasonally or on a small-scale geographically, sometimes even dominating the bacterial community.     

Diversity and bioactive potential of endospore-forming bacteria cultured from the marine sponge Haliclona simulans

Aims: Despite the frequent isolation of endospore‐formers from marine sponges, little is known about the diversity and characterization of individual isolates. The main aims of this study were to isolate and characterize the spore‐forming bacteria from the marine sponge Haliclona simulans and to examine their potential as a source for bioactive compounds. Methods and Results: A bank of presumptive aerobic spore‐forming bacteria was isolated from the marine sponge H. simulans. These represented c. 1% of the total culturable bacterial population. A subgroup of thirty isolates was characterized using morphological, phenotypical and phylogenetic analysis. A large diversity of endospore‐forming bacteria was present, with the thirty isolates being distributed through a variety of Bacillus and Paenibacillus species. These included ubiquitous species, such as B. subtilis, B. pumilus, B. licheniformis and B. cereus group, as well as species that are typically associated with marine habitats, such as B. aquimaris, B. algicola and B. hwajinpoensis. Two strains carried the aiiA gene that encodes a lactonase known to be able to disrupt quorum‐sensing mechanisms, and various isolates demonstrated protease activity and antimicrobial activity against different pathogenic indicator strains, including Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus cereus and Listeria monocytogenes. Conclusions: The marine sponge H. simulans harbours a diverse collection of endospore‐forming bacteria, which produce proteases and antibiotics. This diversity appears to be overlooked by culture‐dependent and culture‐independent methods that do not specifically target sporeformers. Significance and Impact of Study: Marine sponges are an as yet largely untapped and poorly understood source of endospore‐forming bacterial diversity with potential biotechnological, biopharmaceutical and probiotic applications. These results also indicate the importance of combining different methodologies for the comprehensive characterization of complex microbial populations such as those found in marine sponges.     

Phylogenetic Diversity of Bacteria Associated with the Marine Sponge <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gelliodes carnosa</Emphasis> Collected from the Hainan Island Coastal Waters of the South China Sea

Several molecular techniques were employed to document the bacterial diversity associated with the marine sponge Gelliodes carnosa. Cultivation-dependent and cultivation-independent methods were used to obtain the 16S rRNA gene sequences of the bacteria. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the bacterial community structure was highly diverse with representatives of the high G + C Gram-positive bacteria, cyanobacteria, low G + C Gram-positive bacteria, and proteobacteria (α-, β-, and γ-), most of which were also found in other marine environments, including in association with other sponges. Overall, 300 bacterial isolates were cultivated, and a total of 62 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified from these isolates by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and DNA sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes. Approximately 1,000 16S rRNA gene clones were obtained by the cultivation-independent method. A total of 310 clones were randomly selected for RFLP analysis, from which 33 OTUs were acquired by further DNA sequencing and chimera checking. A total of 12 cultured OTUs (19.4% of the total cultured OTUs) and 13 uncultured OTUs (39.4% of the total uncultured OTUs) had low sequence identity (≤97%) with their closest matches in GenBank and were probably new species. Our data provide strong evidence for the presence of a diverse variety of unidentified bacteria in the marine sponge G. carnosa. A relatively high proportion of the isolates exhibited antimicrobial activity, and the deferred antagonism assay showed that over half of the active isolates exhibited a much stronger bioactivity when grown on medium containing seawater. In addition to demonstrating that the sponge-associated bacteria could be a rich source of new biologically active natural products, the results may have ecological implications. This study expands our knowledge of the diversity of sponge-associated bacteria and contributes to the growing database of the bacterial communities within sponges.     

Isolation of High Molecular Weight DNA from Marine Sponge Bacteria for BAC Library Construction

Metagenomics is a powerful tool for mining the genetic repositories from environmental microorganisms. Bacteria associated with marine sponges (phylum Porifera) are rich sources of biologically active natural products. However, to date, few compounds are discovered from the sponge metagenomic libraries, and the main reason might be the difficulties in recovery of high molecular weight (HMW) DNA from sponge symbionts to construct large insert libraries. Here, we describe a method to recover HMW bacterial DNA from diverse sponges with high quality for bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library construction. Microorganisms concentrated from sponges by differential centrifugation were embedded in agarose plugs to lyse out the HMW DNA for recovery. DNA fragments over 436 kb size were recovered from three different types of sponges, Halichondria sp., Haliclona sp., and Xestospongia sp. To evaluate the recovered DNA quality, the diversity of bacterial DNA comprised in the HMW DNA derived from sponge Halichondria sp. was analyzed, and this HMW DNA sample was also cloned into a shuttle BAC vector between Escherichia coli and Streptomyces sp. The results showed that more than five types of bacterial DNA, i.e., Proteobacteria, Nitrospirae, Cyanobacteria, Planctomycetes, and unidentified bacteria, had been recovered by this method, and an average 100 kb size insert DNA in a constructed BAC library demonstrated that the recovered HMW DNA is suitable for metagenomic library construction.     

ENDOSYMBIOTIC CALCIFYING BACTERIA: A NEW CUE TO THE ORIGIN OF CALCIFICATION IN METAZOA?

Sponges show the highest diversity of associated bacteria among marine invertebrates. Immunological evidence traces the origin of the sponge bacterial symbioses to the Precambrian era. Hence, sponges appear to be ideally suited for studying the evolutionary origins of prokaryote–metazoan associations. Sponges produce either calcareous or siliceous skeletons, which only coexist in a relict group of demosponges, the sclerosponges. We report here, for the first time, intensive calcification in nonsclerosponge siliceous demosponges. Calcification is mediated by endosymbiotic bacteria (calcibacteria) located in archeocyte‐like sponge cells. These calcibacteria are devoid of bacterial walls and divide within sponge cells until they became surrounded by a calcitic sheet, being subsequently extruded to the sponge subectosomal (subepithelial) zone. Thousands of bacteria‐produced calcitic spherules cover the surface of the host sponges, forming a cortex‐like structure that mimics a rudimentary peripheral skeleton. Calcibacteria are vertically transferred to the sponge larvae during embryogenesis. Calcium detoxification may have generated this symbiotic association, with some additional benefits for the sponges, such as skeletal formation and deterrence from predation. This unique symbiosis holds implications for sponge biology and may advance discussions on the role of bacteria in early biocalcification processes in metazoans.     

Assessing the diversity of bacterial communities from marine sponges and their bioactive compounds

Symbiotic bacteria play vital roles in the survival and health of marine sponges. Sponges harbor rich, diverse and species-specific microbial communities. Symbiotic marine bacteria have increasingly been reported as promising source of bioactive compounds. A culturomics-based study was undertaken to study the diversity of bacteria from marine sponges and their antimicrobial potential. We have collected three sponge samples i.e. Acanthaster carteri, Rhytisma fulvum (soft coral) and Haliclona caerulea from north region (Obhur) of Red Sea, Jeddah Saudi Arabia. Total of 144 bacterial strains were isolated from three marine sponges using culture dependent method. Screening of isolated strains showed only 37 (26%) isolates as antagonists against oomycetes pathogens (P. ultimum and P. capsici). Among 37 antagonistic bacteria, only 19 bacterial strains exhibited antibacterial activity against human pathogens (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ATCC 43300, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212). Four major classes of bacteria i.e γ-Proteobacteria, α-Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria were recorded from three marine sponges where γ-Proteobacteria was dominant class. One potential bacterial strain Halomonas sp. EA423 was selected for identification of bioactive metabolites using GC and LC-MS analyses. Bioactive compounds Sulfamerazine, Metronidazole-OH and Ibuprofen are detected from culture extract of strain Halomonas sp. EA423. Overall, this study gives insight into composition and diversity of antagonistic bacterial community of marine sponges and coral from Red Sea and presence of active metabolites from potential strain. Our results showed that these diverse and potential bacterial communities further need to be studied to exploit their biotechnological significance.     

Analysis of bacterial communities in sponges and coral inhabiting Red Sea,using barcoded 454 pyrosequencing

Microbial communities are linked with marine sponge are diverse in their structure and function. Our understanding of the sponge-associated microbial diversity is limited especially from Red Sea in Saudi Arabia where few species of sponges have been studied. Here we used pyrosequencing to study two marine sponges and coral species sampled from Obhur region from Red sea in Jeddah. A total of 168 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified from Haliclona caerulea, Stylissa carteri and Rhytisma fulvum. Taxonomic identification of tag sequences of 16S ribosomal RNA revealed 6 different bacterial phyla and 9 different classes. A proportion of unclassified reads were was also observed in sponges and coral sample. We found diverse bacterial communities associated with two sponges and a coral sample. Diversity and richness estimates based on OUTs revealed that sponge H. caerulea had significantly high bacterial diversity. The identified OTUs showed unique clustering in three sponge samples as revealed by Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). Proteobacteria (88–95%) was dominant phyla alonwith Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes and Nitrospirae. Seventeen different genera were identified where genus Pseudoalteromonas was dominant in all three samples. This is first study to assess bacterial communities of sponge and coral sample that have never been studied before to unravel their microbial communities using 454-pyrosequencing method.     

The Bacterial Community of the Lithistid Sponge Discodermia spp. as Determined by Cultivation and Culture-Independent Methods

The marine lithistid sponge Discodermia spp. (Family Theonellidae) contains many types of associated bacteria visible in the mesohyl while biofilms cover the pinacoderm. This study determined the identity of bacteria associated with members of the genus Discodermia using microbial culture, 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Four samples of Discodermia spp. were collected at depths between 24–161?m near Grand Bahama Island and Cay Sal Bank, Bahamas. A total of 80 unique isolates and 94 different clone sequences from at least eight bacterial classes were obtained. It appeared that Discodermia spp. may have a core community of bacteria that is common to all sponges of this genus. Species of at least six different classes of bacteria were regularly found in most of the sponge specimens collected, irrespective of collection depth or location. This indicates that a diverse spectrum of bacteria is associated with lithistid sponges irrespective of the transient seawater community that enters the sponge.     

Bacterial Community Analyses of Two Red Sea Sponges

Red Sea sponges offer potential as sources of novel drugs and bioactive compounds. Sponges harbor diverse and abundant prokaryotic communities. The diversity of Egyptian sponge-associated bacterial communities has not yet been explored. Our study is the first culture-based and culture-independent investigation of the total bacterial assemblages associated with two Red Sea Demosponges, Hyrtios erectus and Amphimedon sp. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis fingerprint-based analysis revealed statistically different banding patterns of the bacterial communities of the studied sponges with H. erectus having the greater diversity. 16S rRNA clone libraries of both sponges revealed diverse and complex bacterial assemblages represented by ten phyla for H. erectus and five phyla for Amphimedon sp. The bacterial community associated with H. erectus was dominated by Deltaproteobacteria. Clones affiliated with Gammaproteobacteria were the major component of the clone library of Amphimedon sp. About a third of the 16S rRNA gene sequences in these communities were derived from bacteria that are novel at least at the species level. Although the overall bacterial communities were significantly different, some bacterial groups, including members of Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria, were found in both sponge species. The culture-based component of this study targeted Actinobacteria and resulted in the isolation of 35 sponge-associated microbes. The current study lays the groundwork for future studies of the role of these diverse microbes in the ecology, evolution, and development of marine sponges. In addition, our work provides an excellent resource of several candidate bacteria for production of novel pharmaceutically important compounds.