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Title: An Enrichment of CRISPR and Other Defense-Related Features in Marine Sponge-Associated Microbial Metagenomes

Journal Article · · Frontiers in Microbiology
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [5]
  1. GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel (Germany); Univ. of Wurzburg, Wurzburg (Germany)
  2. GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel (Germany)
  3. Univ. of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW (Australia)
  4. Univ. of Wurzburg, Wurzburg (Germany)
  5. GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel (Germany); Christian-Albrechts-Univ. zu Kiel, Kiel (Germany)

Many marine sponges are populated by dense and taxonomically diverse microbial consortia. We employed a metagenomics approach to unravel the differences in the functional gene repertoire among three Mediterranean sponge species, Petrosia ficiformis, Sarcotragus foetidus, Aplysina aerophoba and seawater. Different signatures were observed between sponge and seawater metagenomes with regard to microbial community composition, GC content, and estimated bacterial genome size. Our analysis showed further a pronounced repertoire for defense systems in sponge metagenomes. Specifically, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, restriction modification, DNA phosphorothioation and phage growth limitation systems were enriched in sponge metagenomes. These data suggest that defense is an important functional trait for an existence within sponges that requires mechanisms to defend against foreign DNA from microorganisms and viruses. Furthermore, this study contributes to an understanding of the evolutionary arms race between viruses/phages and bacterial genomes and it sheds light on the bacterial defenses that have evolved in the context of the sponge holobiont.

Research Organization:
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel (Germany). Marine Microbiology
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
311932
OSTI ID:
1378945
Journal Information:
Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol. 7; ISSN 1664-302X
Publisher:
Frontiers Research FoundationCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 56 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Phylogeny and genomics of SAUL, an enigmatic bacterial lineage frequently associated with marine sponges: Phylogeny and genomics of SAUL journal November 2017
Characterization of a thaumarchaeal symbiont that drives incomplete nitrification in the tropical sponge Ianthella basta journal July 2019
Detecting signatures of a sponge-associated lifestyle in bacterial genomes: Sponge-associated lifestyle in bacterial genomes journal July 2018
Metagenomes Reveal Global Distribution of Bacterial Steroid Catabolism in Natural, Engineered, and Host Environments journal January 2018
Life at Home and on the Roam: Genomic Adaptions Reflect the Dual Lifestyle of an Intracellular, Facultative Symbiont journal May 2019
Comparative Genomics Reveals Ecological and Evolutionary Insights into Sponge-Associated Thaumarchaeota journal August 2019
The sponge holobiont in a changing ocean: from microbes to ecosystems journal March 2018
Genus-wide comparison of Pseudovibrio bacterial genomes reveal diverse adaptations to different marine invertebrate hosts journal May 2018
Application of in situ Solid-Phase Microextraction on Mediterranean Sponges for Untargeted Exometabolome Screening and Environmental Monitoring journal October 2019
Comparative Metagenomics Reveals the Distinctive Adaptive Features of the Spongia officinalis Endosymbiotic Consortium journal December 2017
Emerging Sponge Models of Animal-Microbe Symbioses journal December 2016
Comparative Genomics of Marine Sponge-Derived Streptomyces spp. Isolates SM17 and SM18 With Their Closest Terrestrial Relatives Provides Novel Insights Into Environmental Niche Adaptations and Secondary Metabolite Biosynthesis Potential journal July 2019
Insights into the Human Virome Using CRISPR Spacers from Microbiomes journal September 2018
Metagenomic binning of a marine sponge microbiome reveals unity in defense but metabolic specialization journal July 2017
Expressed protein profile of a Tectomicrobium and other microbial symbionts in the marine sponge Aplysina aerophoba as evidenced by metaproteomics journal August 2018
Characterizing the microbiomes of Antarctic sponges: a functional metagenomic approach journal January 2020
Analysis of functional gene transcripts suggests active CO2 assimilation and CO oxidation by diverse bacteria in marine sponges journal June 2019
More than Simple Parasites: the Sociobiology of Bacteriophages and Their Bacterial Hosts journal April 2020
Temporal Stability of Bacterial Communities in Antarctic Sponges journal November 2019
Cultivation of Bacteria From Aplysina aerophoba: Effects of Oxygen and Nutrient Gradients journal February 2020