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Title: Lifestyle Evolution in Cyanobacterial Symbionts of Sponges

Abstract

The “Candidatus Synechococcus spongiarum” group includes different clades of cyanobacteria with high 16S rRNA sequence identity (~99%) and is the most abundant and widespread cyanobacterial symbiont of marine sponges. The first draft genome of a “Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum” group member was recently published, providing evidence of genome reduction by loss of genes involved in several nonessential functions. However, “Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum” includes a variety of clades that may differ widely in genomic repertoire and consequently in physiology and symbiotic function. Here, we present three additional draft genomes of “Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum,” each from a different clade. By comparing all four symbiont genomes to those of free-living cyanobacteria, we revealed general adaptations to life inside sponges and specific adaptations of each phylotype. Symbiont genomes shared about half of their total number of coding genes. Common traits of “Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum” members were a high abundance of DNA modification and recombination genes and a reduction in genes involved in inorganic ion transport and metabolism, cell wall biogenesis, and signal transduction mechanisms. Moreover, these symbionts were characterized by a reduced number of antioxidant enzymes and low-weight peptides of photosystem II compared to their free-living relatives. Variability within the “Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum” group wasmore » mostly related to immune system features, potential for siderophore-mediated iron transport, and dependency on methionine from external sources. The common absence of genes involved in synthesis of residues, typical of the O antigen of free-living Synechococcus species, suggests a novel mechanism utilized by these symbionts to avoid sponge predation and phage attack.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [2];  [1]
  1. Univ. of Haifa (Israel). Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences
  2. Univ. of WĂŒrzburg, WĂŒrzburg (Germany). Julius-von-Sachs Institute for Biosciences
  3. Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States). Dept. of Ecology and Evolution
  4. Justus-Liebig-Univ. (Germany)
  5. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
  6. Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States). Dept. of Ecology and Evolution; Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Marine Biological Lab., Woods Hole, MA (United States of America); Zhejiang Univ. (China). College of Environmental and Resource Sciences
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1214648
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-06CH11357
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
mBio (Online)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: mBio (Online); Journal Volume: 6; Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 2150-7511
Publisher:
American Society for Microbiology
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Citation Formats

Burgsdorf, Ilia, Slaby, Beate M., Handley, Kim M., Haber, Markus, Blom, Jochen, Marshall, Christopher W., Gilbert, Jack A., Hentschel, Ute, and Steindler, Laura. Lifestyle Evolution in Cyanobacterial Symbionts of Sponges. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1128/mBio.00391-15.
Burgsdorf, Ilia, Slaby, Beate M., Handley, Kim M., Haber, Markus, Blom, Jochen, Marshall, Christopher W., Gilbert, Jack A., Hentschel, Ute, & Steindler, Laura. Lifestyle Evolution in Cyanobacterial Symbionts of Sponges. United States. https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00391-15
Burgsdorf, Ilia, Slaby, Beate M., Handley, Kim M., Haber, Markus, Blom, Jochen, Marshall, Christopher W., Gilbert, Jack A., Hentschel, Ute, and Steindler, Laura. Tue . "Lifestyle Evolution in Cyanobacterial Symbionts of Sponges". United States. https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00391-15. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1214648.
@article{osti_1214648,
title = {Lifestyle Evolution in Cyanobacterial Symbionts of Sponges},
author = {Burgsdorf, Ilia and Slaby, Beate M. and Handley, Kim M. and Haber, Markus and Blom, Jochen and Marshall, Christopher W. and Gilbert, Jack A. and Hentschel, Ute and Steindler, Laura},
abstractNote = {The “Candidatus Synechococcus spongiarum” group includes different clades of cyanobacteria with high 16S rRNA sequence identity (~99%) and is the most abundant and widespread cyanobacterial symbiont of marine sponges. The first draft genome of a “Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum” group member was recently published, providing evidence of genome reduction by loss of genes involved in several nonessential functions. However, “Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum” includes a variety of clades that may differ widely in genomic repertoire and consequently in physiology and symbiotic function. Here, we present three additional draft genomes of “Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum,” each from a different clade. By comparing all four symbiont genomes to those of free-living cyanobacteria, we revealed general adaptations to life inside sponges and specific adaptations of each phylotype. Symbiont genomes shared about half of their total number of coding genes. Common traits of “Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum” members were a high abundance of DNA modification and recombination genes and a reduction in genes involved in inorganic ion transport and metabolism, cell wall biogenesis, and signal transduction mechanisms. Moreover, these symbionts were characterized by a reduced number of antioxidant enzymes and low-weight peptides of photosystem II compared to their free-living relatives. Variability within the “Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum” group was mostly related to immune system features, potential for siderophore-mediated iron transport, and dependency on methionine from external sources. The common absence of genes involved in synthesis of residues, typical of the O antigen of free-living Synechococcus species, suggests a novel mechanism utilized by these symbionts to avoid sponge predation and phage attack.},
doi = {10.1128/mBio.00391-15},
journal = {mBio (Online)},
number = 3,
volume = 6,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jun 02 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Tue Jun 02 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}

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  • DOI: 10.1007/s10123-020-00119-z

First Record of Microbiomes of Sponges Collected From the Persian Gulf, Using Tag Pyrosequencing
journal, July 2018


Keeping it in the family: Coevolution of latrunculid sponges and their dominant bacterial symbionts
journal, October 2016

  • Matcher, Gwynneth F.; Waterworth, Samantha C.; Walmsley, Tara A.
  • MicrobiologyOpen, Vol. 6, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.417

Variations in Microbial Diversity and Metabolite Profiles of the Tropical Marine Sponge Xestospongia muta with Season and Depth
journal, November 2018

  • Villegas-Plazas, Marcela; Wos-Oxley, Melissa L.; Sanchez, Juan A.
  • Microbial Ecology, Vol. 78, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1007/s00248-018-1285-y

Characterizing the microbiomes of Antarctic sponges: a functional metagenomic approach
journal, January 2020


Metagenomic binning reveals versatile nutrient cycling and distinct adaptive features in alphaproteobacterial symbionts of marine sponges
journal, April 2018

  • Karimi, Elham; Slaby, Beate M.; Soares, AndrĂ© R.
  • FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Vol. 94, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiy074

Microbially mediated nutrient cycles in marine sponges
journal, October 2019

  • Zhang, Fan; Jonas, Lauren; Lin, Hanzhi
  • FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Vol. 95, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiz155

Evolution and function of eukaryotic-like proteins from sponge symbionts
journal, September 2016

  • Reynolds, David; Thomas, Torsten
  • Molecular Ecology, Vol. 25, Issue 20
  • DOI: 10.1111/mec.13812

An Enrichment of CRISPR and Other Defense-Related Features in Marine Sponge-Associated Microbial Metagenomes
journal, November 2016


Diversity of tryptophan halogenases in sponges of the genus Aplysina
journal, July 2019

  • Gutleben, Johanna; Koehorst, Jasper J.; McPherson, Kyle
  • FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Vol. 95, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiz108