Lithistid Sponges: Star Performers or Hosts to the Stars

Bewley, Carole A.; Faulkner, D. John

doi:10.1002/(sici)1521-3773(19980904)37:16<2162::aid-anie2162>3.0.co;2-2

Cited by 190 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 93 publications

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“…Various ecological roles have also been proposed for these compounds, including defense against predators (20,55,275), competitors (94,395,411), fouling organisms (363,487), and microbes (19,254,398). Interestingly, in at least some cases, the compounds appear to be produced by associated microorganisms rather than by the sponge (27,285,351). Continued investigations of sponge-derived compounds and their biotechnological and ecological implications should guarantee vigorous interest in sponge-microbe associations for some time to come.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sponge-Associated Microorganisms: Evolution, Ecology, and Biotechnological Potential

Taylor

Radax

Steger

et al. 2007

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

1,272

1,512

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SUMMARY Marine sponges often contain diverse and abundant microbial communities, including bacteria, archaea, microalgae, and fungi. In some cases, these microbial associates comprise as much as 40% of the sponge volume and can contribute significantly to host metabolism (e.g., via photosynthesis or nitrogen fixation). We review in detail the diversity of microbes associated with sponges, including extensive 16S rRNA-based phylogenetic analyses which support the previously suggested existence of a sponge-specific microbiota. These analyses provide a suitable vantage point from which to consider the potential evolutionary and ecological ramifications of these widespread, sponge-specific microorganisms. Subsequently, we examine the ecology of sponge-microbe associations, including the establishment and maintenance of these sometimes intimate partnerships, the varied nature of the interactions (ranging from mutualism to host-pathogen relationships), and the broad-scale patterns of symbiont distribution. The ecological and evolutionary importance of sponge-microbe associations is mirrored by their enormous biotechnological potential: marine sponges are among the animal kingdom's most prolific producers of bioactive metabolites, and in at least some cases, the compounds are of microbial rather than sponge origin. We review the status of this important field, outlining the various approaches (e.g., cultivation, cell separation, and metagenomics) which have been employed to access the chemical wealth of sponge-microbe associations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sponge-Associated Microorganisms: Evolution, Ecology, and Biotechnological Potential

Taylor

Radax

Steger

et al. 2007

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

1,272

1,512

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Many sponges harbor highly abundant bacterial communities that exhibit a similar biological complexity as the human microbiome (2,3), but the ecological roles of these mostly uncultivated microbes remain largely elusive. One of the functions, for which evidence is accumulating, is the production of toxic natural products that might contribute to host defense (4,5). Significant efforts have been made to connect the chemistry of sponges to possible bacterial producers, largely motivated by the prospect of developing sustainable production systems for drug development.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into the lifestyle of uncultured bacterial natural product factories associated with marine sponges

Lackner

Peters

Helfrich

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

124

126

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The as-yet uncultured filamentous bacteria "Candidatus Entotheonella factor" and "Candidatus Entotheonella gemina" live associated with the marine sponge Theonella swinhoei Y, the source of numerous unusual bioactive natural products. Belonging to the proposed candidate phylum "Tectomicrobia," Candidatus Entotheonella members are only distantly related to any cultivated organism. The Ca. E. factor has been identified as the source of almost all polyketide and modified peptides families reported from the sponge host, and both Ca. Entotheonella phylotypes contain numerous additional genes for as-yet unknown metabolites. Here, we provide insights into the biology of these remarkable bacteria using genomic, (meta)proteomic, and chemical methods. The data suggest a metabolic model of Ca. Entotheonella as facultative anaerobic, organotrophic organisms with the ability to use methanol as an energy source. The symbionts appear to be auxotrophic for some vitamins, but have the potential to produce most amino acids as well as rare cofactors like coenzyme F 420 . The latter likely accounts for the strong autofluorescence of Ca. Entotheonella filaments. A large expansion of protein families involved in regulation and conversion of organic molecules indicates roles in host-bacterial interaction. In addition, a massive overrepresentation of members of the luciferase-like monooxygenase superfamily points toward an important role of these proteins in Ca. Entotheonella. Furthermore, we performed mass spectrometric imaging combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization to localize Ca. Entotheonella and some of the bioactive natural products in the sponge tissue. These metabolic insights into a new candidate phylum offer hints on the targeted cultivation of the chemically most prolific microorganisms known from microbial dark matter.

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“…Lithistid demosponges are progressively growing population of marine sponges and are of particular interest to paleontology [1,46]. A few species of lithistid has physiological and ecological traits and biotechnological and ecological uses [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithistid Sponges Derived Compounds and Their Importance in Biological Research - A Review

Abirla

2018

Asian J Pharm Clin Res

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Lithistid sponges have an important source of complex natural compounds with biological activities. The lithistid sponges are of interest to biomedical science because of the great variety of pharmaceutically relevant biological activities of their chemical extracts and are considered as economically important. The compounds identified in these sponges have therapeutic potential and have been frequently hypothesized to contain compounds of bacterial origin. The peptides identified from these lithistid sponges are found to be the sources of antifungal activity. The active agents of these sponges also have cytotoxic and immunosuppressive activities. Many of the cyclic peptides of lithistid represent the anti-HIV activity. The different structure and biological activities of the compounds derived from these sponges have more chemical aspects too.

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Lithistid Sponges: Star Performers or Hosts to the Stars

Cited by 190 publications

References 93 publications

Sponge-Associated Microorganisms: Evolution, Ecology, and Biotechnological Potential

Sponge-Associated Microorganisms: Evolution, Ecology, and Biotechnological Potential

Insights into the lifestyle of uncultured bacterial natural product factories associated with marine sponges

Lithistid Sponges Derived Compounds and Their Importance in Biological Research - A Review

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