Exploring cultivableBacteriafrom the prokaryotic community associated with the carnivorous spongeAsbestopluma hypogea

Abstract

Combining culture-dependent and independent approaches, we investigated for the first time the cultivable fraction of the prokaryotic community associated with the carnivorous sponge Asbestopluma hypogea. The heterotrophic prokaryotes isolated from this tiny sponge were compared between specimens freshly collected from cave and maintained in aquarium. Overall, 67 isolates obtained in pure culture were phylogenetically affiliated to the bacterial phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes. This cultivable diversity was lower than the prokaryotic diversity obtained by previous pyrosequencing study and comparable to that of another Mediterranean demosponge, the filter-feeding Phorbas tenacior. Furthermore, using fluorescence in situ hybridization, we visualized bacterial and archaeal cells, confirming the presence of both prokaryotes in A. hypogea tissue. Approximately 16% of the bacterial isolates tested positive for chitinolytic activity, suggesting potential microbial involvement in the digestion processes of crustacean prey by this carnivorous sponge. Additionally, 6% and 16% of bacterial isolates revealed antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, respectively. One Streptomyces sp. S1CA strain was identified as a promising candidate for the production of antimicrobial and antioxidant secondary metabolites as well as chitinolytic enzymes. Implications in the context of the sponge biology and prey-feeding strategy are discussed.

The Microbiome and Occurrence of Methanotrophy in Carnivorous Sponges

“…Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images indicate at least three bacterial morphotypes in the species Cladorhiza methanophila Vacelet and Boury-Esnault, 2002 from a mud volcano at the base of the Barbados Accretionary Prism (BAP) (Vacelet et al, 1995; Vacelet and Boury-Esnault, 2002), and reported TEM observations from the Pacific species Lycopodina occidentalis (Lambe, 1893) show that bacteriocytes are abundant in the mesohyl, especially in the filaments, in species without known chemoautotrophic symbionts as well (Riesgo et al, 2007). However, the only known microbiome data currently available for carnivorous sponges is from Dupont et al (2013, 2014), who characterized the microbial community of L. hypogea Vacelet and Boury-Esnault, 1996 from a Mediterranean cave.…”

Biosurfactant activity, heavy metal tolerance and characterization of Joostella strain A8 from the Mediterranean polychaete Megalomma claparedei (Gravier, 1906)

“…In this work, attention was given to Joostella strain A8 because such genus (within the family Flavobacteriaceae, phylum Bacteroidetes) was described only recently and few studies have been addressed to (Quan et al 2008;Kim et al 2011;Hameed et al 2014;Yang et al 2014). Members in the genus have been observed in association with anemones (Du et al 2010), sponges (Jackson et al 2012Dupont et al 2014), fecal pellets (De Troch et al 2010), and sediment (Velmurugan et al 2011). In some cases, antibacterial and algicidal activities by Joostella isolates have been reported (Dupont et al 2014;Yang et al 2014).…”

“…Members in the genus have been observed in association with anemones (Du et al 2010), sponges (Jackson et al 2012Dupont et al 2014), fecal pellets (De Troch et al 2010), and sediment (Velmurugan et al 2011). In some cases, antibacterial and algicidal activities by Joostella isolates have been reported (Dupont et al 2014;Yang et al 2014). These reports clearly indicate the wide distribution of members of the genus Joostella in nature and their potential as a source of useful compounds.…”

Lipopolysaccharides from Commensal and Opportunistic Bacteria: Characterization and Response of the Immune System of the Host Sponge Suberites domuncula

“…The opportunistic bacterium 1A1, isolated from an unhealthy S. domuncula specimen, infected experimentally other healthy sponges. It is phylogenetically related to other marine Pseudoalteromonas species and, especially to one found in a carnivorous sponge [ 51 ]. Besides, considering the pathogenicity of P. agarivorans strain NW4327 toward sponges [ 47 ] and the proliferation of Pseudoalteromonas sp.…”