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The Alkaloids. Chemistry and Biology 2015This chapter is focused on madangamines, a small group of complex diamine alkaloids isolated from marine sponges of the order Haplosclerida, and covers their isolation,... (Review)
Review
This chapter is focused on madangamines, a small group of complex diamine alkaloids isolated from marine sponges of the order Haplosclerida, and covers their isolation, characterization, biogenesis, biological activity, and synthesis. Structurally, madangamines are pentacyclic alkaloids with an unprecedented skeletal type, characterized by a common diazatricyclic core and two peripheral macrocyclic rings. The isolation of these alkaloids from Xestospongia ingens (madangamines A-E) and Pachychalina alcaloidifera (madangamine F) is described in detail. Physical and complete spectroscopic 1H and 13C NMR data are included. The proposed biogenesis of madangamines from ammonia, a functionalized three-carbon unit, and saturated or unsaturated linear long-chain dialdehydes, via partially reduced bis-alkylpyridine macrocycles, is discussed. The synthesis of alkaloids of the madangamine group has been little explored, with only one total synthesis reported so far, that of (+)-madangamine D. This review also describes several model synthetic approaches to the diazatricyclic ABC core of these alkaloids, as well as model studies on the construction of the (Z,Z)-unsaturated 11-membered E macrocycle common to madangamines A-E, the 13- and 14-membered D rings of madangamines C-E, and the all-cis-triunsaturated 15-membered D ring of madangamine A. Some members of this group have shown significant in vitro cytotoxicity against a number of cancer cell lines.
Topics: Alkaloids; Animals; Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic; Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Molecular Structure; Porifera; Xestospongia
PubMed: 25845061
DOI: 10.1016/bs.alkal.2014.10.001 -
Nature Jun 2023A central question in evolutionary biology is whether sponges or ctenophores (comb jellies) are the sister group to all other animals. These alternative phylogenetic...
A central question in evolutionary biology is whether sponges or ctenophores (comb jellies) are the sister group to all other animals. These alternative phylogenetic hypotheses imply different scenarios for the evolution of complex neural systems and other animal-specific traits. Conventional phylogenetic approaches based on morphological characters and increasingly extensive gene sequence collections have not been able to definitively answer this question. Here we develop chromosome-scale gene linkage, also known as synteny, as a phylogenetic character for resolving this question. We report new chromosome-scale genomes for a ctenophore and two marine sponges, and for three unicellular relatives of animals (a choanoflagellate, a filasterean amoeba and an ichthyosporean) that serve as outgroups for phylogenetic analysis. We find ancient syntenies that are conserved between animals and their close unicellular relatives. Ctenophores and unicellular eukaryotes share ancestral metazoan patterns, whereas sponges, bilaterians, and cnidarians share derived chromosomal rearrangements. Conserved syntenic characters unite sponges with bilaterians, cnidarians, and placozoans in a monophyletic clade to the exclusion of ctenophores, placing ctenophores as the sister group to all other animals. The patterns of synteny shared by sponges, bilaterians, and cnidarians are the result of rare and irreversible chromosome fusion-and-mixing events that provide robust and unambiguous phylogenetic support for the ctenophore-sister hypothesis. These findings provide a new framework for resolving deep, recalcitrant phylogenetic problems and have implications for our understanding of animal evolution.
Topics: Animals; Ctenophora; Genome; Phylogeny; Porifera; Synteny
PubMed: 37198475
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05936-6 -
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews.... Mar 2020Sponges, ctenophores, placozoans, and cnidarians have key evolutionary significance in that they bracket the time interval during which organized animal tissues were... (Review)
Review
Sponges, ctenophores, placozoans, and cnidarians have key evolutionary significance in that they bracket the time interval during which organized animal tissues were first assembled, fundamental cell types originated (e.g., neurons and myocytes), and developmental patterning mechanisms evolved. Sponges in particular have often been viewed as living surrogates for early animal ancestors, largely due to similarities between their feeding cells (choanocytes) with choanoflagellates, the unicellular/colony-forming sister group to animals. Here, we evaluate these claims and highlight aspects of sponge biology with comparative value for understanding developmental evolution, irrespective of the purported antiquity of their body plan. Specifically, we argue that sponges strike a different balance between patterning and plasticity than other animals, and that environmental inputs may have prominence over genetically regulated developmental mechanisms. We then present a case study to illustrate how contractile epithelia in sponges can help unravel the complex ancestry of an ancient animal cell type, myocytes, which sponges lack. Sponges represent hundreds of millions of years of largely unexamined evolutionary experimentation within animals. Their phylogenetic placement lends them key significance for learning about the past, and their divergent biology challenges current views about the scope of animal cell and developmental biology. This article is characterized under: Comparative Development and Evolution > Evolutionary Novelties Comparative Development and Evolution > Body Plan Evolution.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Developmental Biology; Phylogeny; Porifera
PubMed: 31352684
DOI: 10.1002/wdev.359 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2017: This extensive review covers research published between 2010 and 2012 regarding new compounds derived from marine sponges, including 62 species from 60 genera... (Review)
Review
: This extensive review covers research published between 2010 and 2012 regarding new compounds derived from marine sponges, including 62 species from 60 genera belonging to 33 families and 13 orders of the Demospongia class (Porifera). The emphasis is on the cytotoxic activity that bioactive metabolites from sponges may have on cancer cell lines. At least 197 novel chemical structures from 337 compounds isolated have been found to support this work. Details on the source and taxonomy of the sponges, their geographical occurrence, and a range of chemical structures are presented. The compounds discovered from the reviewed marine sponges fall into mainly four chemical classes: terpenoids (41.9%), alkaloids (26.2%), macrolides (8.9%) and peptides (6.3%) which, along with polyketides, sterols, and others show a range of biological activities. The key sponge orders studied in the reviewed research were Dictyoceratida, Haplosclerida, Tetractinellida, Poecilosclerida, and Agelasida. , (Haplosclerida), (Tetractinellida), and (Dictyioceratida), were found to be the most promising genera because of their capacity for producing new bioactive compounds. Several of the new compounds and their synthetic analogues have shown in vitro cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic activities against various tumor/cancer cell lines, and some of them will undergo further in vivo evaluation.
Topics: Animals; Aquatic Organisms; Biological Products; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Survival; Humans; Porifera
PubMed: 28134844
DOI: 10.3390/molecules22020208 -
Current Opinion in Genetics &... Aug 2019Animal morphogenesis can be summarized as a reconfiguration of a mass of cells. Although extracellular matrices that include rigid skeletal elements, such as... (Review)
Review
Animal morphogenesis can be summarized as a reconfiguration of a mass of cells. Although extracellular matrices that include rigid skeletal elements, such as cartilage/bones and exoskeletons, have important roles in morphogenesis, they are also secreted in situ by accumulated cells or epithelial cells. In contrast, recent studies of the skeleton construction of sponges (Porifera) illuminate a conceptually different mechanism of morphogenesis in which cells manipulate rather fine rigid materials (spicules) to form larger structures. Here, two different types of sponge skeleton formation using calcareous spicules or siliceous spicules are compared with regard to the concept of the production of rigid materials and their use in skeletons. The comparison highlights the advantages of their different strategies of forming sponge skeletons.
Topics: Animal Shells; Animals; Cartilage; Epithelial Cells; Extracellular Matrix; Morphogenesis; Porifera; Skeleton
PubMed: 31546193
DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2019.08.001 -
Canadian Journal of Microbiology Jan 2023Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the leading global health issues that demand urgent attention. Very soon the world will have to bear the consequences of... (Review)
Review
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the leading global health issues that demand urgent attention. Very soon the world will have to bear the consequences of increased drug resistance if new anti-infectives are not pumped into the clinical pipeline in a short period. This presses on the need for novel chemical entities, and the marine environment is one such hotspot to look for. The Ocean harbours a variety of organisms, of which from this aspect, "Sponges (Phylum Porifera)" are of particular interest. To tackle the stresses faced due to their sessile and filter-feeding lifestyle, sponges produce various bioactive compounds, which can be tapped for human use. The sponges harbour several microorganisms of different types and in most cases; the microbial symbionts are the actual producers of the bioactive compounds. This review describes the alarming need for the development of new antimicrobials and how marine sponges can contribute to this. Selected antimicrobial compounds from the marine sponges and their associated bacteria have been described. Additionally, measures to tackle the supply problem have been covered, which is the primary obstacle in marine natural product drug discovery.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Porifera; Anti-Infective Agents; Bacteria; Biological Products
PubMed: 36288610
DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2022-0147 -
Genes Mar 2021While virtually all animals show certain abilities for regeneration after an injury, these abilities vary greatly among metazoans. Porifera (Sponges) is basal metazoans... (Review)
Review
While virtually all animals show certain abilities for regeneration after an injury, these abilities vary greatly among metazoans. Porifera (Sponges) is basal metazoans characterized by a wide variety of different regenerative processes, including whole-body regeneration (WBR). Considering phylogenetic position and unique body organization, sponges are highly promising models, as they can shed light on the origin and early evolution of regeneration in general and WBR in particular. The present review summarizes available data on the morphogenetic and cellular mechanisms accompanying different types of WBR in sponges. Sponges show a high diversity of WBR, which principally could be divided into (1) WBR from a body fragment and (2) WBR by aggregation of dissociated cells. Sponges belonging to different phylogenetic clades and even to different species and/or differing in the anatomical structure undergo different morphogeneses after similar operations. A common characteristic feature of WBR in sponges is the instability of the main body axis: a change of the organism polarity is described during all types of WBR. The cellular mechanisms of WBR are different across sponge classes, while cell dedifferentiations and transdifferentiations are involved in regeneration processes in all sponges. Data considering molecular regulation of WBR in sponges are extremely scarce. However, the possibility to achieve various types of WBR ensured by common morphogenetic and cellular basis in a single species makes sponges highly accessible for future comprehensive physiological, biochemical, and molecular studies of regeneration processes.
Topics: Animals; Morphogenesis; Porifera; Regeneration; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 33805549
DOI: 10.3390/genes12040506 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2023The article is a comprehensive review concerning tetracyclic triterpene and steroid glycosides from sponges (Porifera, Demospongiae). The extensive oxidative... (Review)
Review
The article is a comprehensive review concerning tetracyclic triterpene and steroid glycosides from sponges (Porifera, Demospongiae). The extensive oxidative transformations of the aglycone and the use of various monosaccharide residues, with up to six possible, are responsible for the significant structural diversity observed in sponge saponins. The saponins are specific for different genera and species but their taxonomic distribution seems to be mosaic in different orders of Demospongiae. Many of the glycosides are membranolytics and possess cytotoxic activity that may be a cause of their anti-predatory activities. All these data reveal the independent origin and parallel evolution of the glycosides in different taxa of the sponges. The information concerning chemical structures, biological activities, biological role, and taxonomic distribution of the sponge glycosides is discussed.
Topics: Animals; Porifera; Triterpenes; Glycosides; Saponins; Steroids
PubMed: 36985476
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28062503 -
The Journal of Experimental Biology Feb 2015Recent phylogenetic analyses resulting from collection of whole genome data suggest that ctenophores, or comb jellies, are sister to all other animals. Even before... (Review)
Review
Recent phylogenetic analyses resulting from collection of whole genome data suggest that ctenophores, or comb jellies, are sister to all other animals. Even before publication, this result prompted discussion among researchers. Here, I counter common criticisms raised about this result and show that assumptions placing sponges as the basal-most extant animal lineage are based on limited evidence and questionable premises. For example, the idea that sponges are simple and the reported similarity of sponge choanocytes to Choanflagellata do not provide useful characters for determining the positions of sponges within the animal tree. Intertwined with discussion of basal metazoan phylogeny is consideration of the evolution of neuronal systems. Recent data show that neural systems of ctenophores are vastly different from those of other animals and use different sets of cellular and genetic mechanisms. Thus, neural systems appear to have at least two independent origins regardless of whether ctenophores or sponges are the earliest branching extant animal lineage.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Choanoflagellata; Ctenophora; Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; Phylogeny; Porifera
PubMed: 25696822
DOI: 10.1242/jeb.111872 -
Cell and Tissue Research Sep 2019Sponges are an ancient basal life form, so understanding their evolution is key to understanding all metazoan evolution. Sponges have very unusual feeding mechanisms,... (Review)
Review
Sponges are an ancient basal life form, so understanding their evolution is key to understanding all metazoan evolution. Sponges have very unusual feeding mechanisms, with an intricate network of progressively optimized filtration units: from the simple choanocyte lining of a central cavity, or spongocoel, to more complex chambers and canals. Furthermore, in a single evolutionary event, a group of sponges transitioned to carnivory. This major evolutionary transition involved replacing the filter-feeding apparatus with mobile phagocytic cells that migrate collectively towards the trapped prey. Here, we focus on the diversity and evolution of sponge nutrition systems and the amazing adaptation to carnivory.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Carnivory; Digestive System; Morphogenesis; Phylogeny; Porifera
PubMed: 31053892
DOI: 10.1007/s00441-019-03032-8