October 7, 2015: Marine Microbiology Seminar

14:00 h, Large Conference Room GEOMAR, Düsternbrooker Weg 20

Abstract:

Marine sponges harbour complex microbial communities of ecological and biotechnological importance, however in-depth knowledge of sponge microbiome stability over space and time is scarce. At the approximate “species” level half a gram of one keratose sponge specimen hosts hundreds of bacterial species - the vast majority of which are difficult to cultivate - and dozens of fungal and archaeal species. The structure of these assemblages is shaped by the host species and is highly stable over space and time, in spite of a measurable, transient sponge microbiota composed of less abundant phylotypes. Shotgun sequencing highlights a unique microbial assemblage that sharply differs from seawater and sediment microbial communities not only in terms of phylogenetic composition, but also because of the markedly higher incidence of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats (CRISPRs) and reduced viral abundance in the symbiotic consortium, among other features. Several bioactive terpenoids and polyketides were retrieved from keratose sponges. Current genome mining of hard-to-culture symbionts captivated in the laboratory strengthens the hypothesis of a symbiotic origin of these compounds. It further holds promise in shedding new light on the life strategies of “biphasic” (i.e., occurring both in sponges and seawater) alphaproteobacterial clades retrieved from these hosts.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Ute Hentschel Humeida

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