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Science (New York, N.Y.) Nov 2021The evolutionary origin of metazoan cell types such as neurons and muscles is not known. Using whole-body single-cell RNA sequencing in a sponge, an animal without...
The evolutionary origin of metazoan cell types such as neurons and muscles is not known. Using whole-body single-cell RNA sequencing in a sponge, an animal without nervous system and musculature, we identified 18 distinct cell types. These include nitric oxide–sensitive contractile pinacocytes, amoeboid phagocytes, and secretory neuroid cells that reside in close contact with digestive choanocytes that express scaffolding and receptor proteins. Visualizing neuroid cells by correlative x-ray and electron microscopy revealed secretory vesicles and cellular projections enwrapping choanocyte microvilli and cilia. Our data show a communication system that is organized around sponge digestive chambers, using conserved modules that became incorporated into the pre- and postsynapse in the nervous systems of other animals.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Cell Communication; Cell Surface Extensions; Cilia; Digestive System; Mesoderm; Nervous System; Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; Nitric Oxide; Porifera; RNA-Seq; Secretory Vesicles; Signal Transduction; Single-Cell Analysis; Transcriptome
PubMed: 34735222
DOI: 10.1126/science.abj2949 -
Nature Sep 2021PIWI proteins use PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) to identify and silence transposable elements and thereby maintain genome integrity between metazoan generations. The...
PIWI proteins use PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) to identify and silence transposable elements and thereby maintain genome integrity between metazoan generations. The targeting of transposable elements by PIWI has been compared to mRNA target recognition by Argonaute proteins, which use microRNA (miRNA) guides, but the extent to which piRNAs resemble miRNAs is not known. Here we present cryo-electron microscopy structures of a PIWI-piRNA complex from the sponge Ephydatia fluviatilis with and without target RNAs, and a biochemical analysis of target recognition. Mirroring Argonaute, PIWI identifies targets using the piRNA seed region. However, PIWI creates a much weaker seed so that stable target association requires further piRNA-target pairing, making piRNAs less promiscuous than miRNAs. Beyond the seed, the structure of PIWI facilitates piRNA-target pairing in a manner that is tolerant of mismatches, leading to long-lived PIWI-piRNA-target interactions that may accumulate on transposable-element transcripts. PIWI ensures targeting fidelity by physically blocking the propagation of piRNA-target interactions in the absence of faithful seed pairing, and by requiring an extended piRNA-target duplex to reach an endonucleolytically active conformation. PIWI proteins thereby minimize off-targeting cellular mRNAs while defending against evolving genomic threats.
Topics: Animals; Argonaute Proteins; Cryoelectron Microscopy; Models, Molecular; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Porifera; RNA, Small Interfering; Substrate Specificity
PubMed: 34471284
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03856-x -
Journal of Morphology Dec 2022Sponges (Porifera) are a diverse and globally distributed clade of benthic organisms, with an evolutionary history reaching at least the Ediacaran-Cambrian (541 Ma)... (Review)
Review
Sponges (Porifera) are a diverse and globally distributed clade of benthic organisms, with an evolutionary history reaching at least the Ediacaran-Cambrian (541 Ma) boundary interval. Throughout their research history, sponges have been subjects of intense studies in many fields, including paleontology, evolutionary biology, and even bioengineering and pharmacology. The skeletons of sponges are mostly characterized by the presence of mineral elements termed spicules, which structurally support the sponge bodies, though they also minimize the metabolic cost of water exchange and deter predators. The description of the spicules' shape and the skeleton organization represents the fundamental basis of sponge taxonomy and systematics. Here, we provide an illustrated catalogue of sponge spicules, which is based on previous works on sponge spicules, for example, and gathers and updates all terms that are currently used in sponge descriptions. Each spicule type is further illustrated through high quality scanning electron microscope micrographs. It is expected to be a valuable source that will facilitate spicule identification and, in certain cases, also enable sponge classification.
Topics: Animals; Paleontology; Biological Evolution; Skeleton; Minerals; Porifera
PubMed: 36208470
DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21520 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2022
Topics: Animals; Cnidaria; Immunity, Innate; Porifera
PubMed: 35173730
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.816550 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jul 2021The islands of the South Pacific Ocean have been in the limelight for natural product biodiscovery, due to their unique and pristine tropical waters and environment. The... (Review)
Review
The islands of the South Pacific Ocean have been in the limelight for natural product biodiscovery, due to their unique and pristine tropical waters and environment. The Kingdom of Tonga is an archipelago in the central Indo-Pacific Ocean, consisting of 176 islands, 36 of which are inhabited, flourishing with a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Many unique natural products with interesting bioactivities have been reported from Indo-Pacific marine sponges and other invertebrate phyla; however, there have not been any reviews published to date specifically regarding natural products from Tongan marine organisms. This review covers both known and new/novel Marine Natural Products (MNPs) and their biological activities reported from organisms collected within Tongan territorial waters up to December 2020, and includes 109 MNPs in total, the majority from the phylum Porifera. The significant biological activity of these metabolites was dominated by cytotoxicity and, by reviewing these natural products, it is apparent that the bulk of the new and interesting biologically active compounds were from organisms collected from one particular island, emphasizing the geographic variability in the chemistry between these organisms collected at different locations.
Topics: Animals; Aquatic Organisms; Biodiversity; Biological Products; Drug Discovery; Pacific Ocean; Porifera; Secondary Metabolism; Tonga; Tropical Climate
PubMed: 34361690
DOI: 10.3390/molecules26154534 -
Chemistry & Biodiversity May 2022Scalarane-type sesterterpenoids have received considerable attention in the scientific literature due to their diverse carbon skeletons and various biological activities... (Review)
Review
Scalarane-type sesterterpenoids have received considerable attention in the scientific literature due to their diverse carbon skeletons and various biological activities and pharmacological properties. Among all these derivatives are commonly isolated from marine sponges and are occasionally derived from shell-less mollusks, such as nudibranchs. This review comprehensively discusses the marine-derived natural sources that give rise to these scalarane-type sesterterpenoids, providing the names, their chemical structures, biological properties, with emphasis on anticancer activity and literature references related to these metabolites. A critical summary of the 221 compounds generated from January 2010 up to December 2021 for their potential as anticancer agents is presented.
Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Aquatic Organisms; Biological Products; Porifera; Sesterterpenes
PubMed: 35393745
DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202200049 -
Letters in Applied Microbiology Jan 2022The marine environment represents one of the most underexplored environments in the world. Marine sponges have a higher taxonomic diversity according to definite... (Review)
Review
The marine environment represents one of the most underexplored environments in the world. Marine sponges have a higher taxonomic diversity according to definite environmental conditions. They have been considered interesting sources for bioactive compounds. Dictyoceratida sponges are divided into five families which are widely distributed and habituating different types of micro-organisms. However, some secondary metabolites are probably not produced by the sponges themselves, but rather by their associated micro-organisms. These secondary metabolites are characterized by different chemical structures and consequently different biological activities. This review outlines the reported secondary metabolites from micro-organisms associated with Dictyoceratida sponges and their investigated biological activities from 1991 to 2019. The increasing research studies in this field can play a major role in marine microbial natural products drug discovery in the future.
Topics: Animals; Biological Products; Humans; Porifera
PubMed: 34496057
DOI: 10.1111/lam.13559 -
Cutis Jan 2021Sponges from the phylum Porifera exist throughout the world in marine and freshwater environments. Although many encounters with humans are benign, some may lead to...
Sponges from the phylum Porifera exist throughout the world in marine and freshwater environments. Although many encounters with humans are benign, some may lead to local dermatologic manifestations and in rare cases can cause more severe systemic reactions. Initial decontamination is of utmost importance to diminish the severity of the reaction. As contact between humans and coastal environments increases, it is important for physicians to know how to recognize and treat sponge dermatitis.
Topics: Animals; Dermatitis; Humans; Porifera
PubMed: 33651864
DOI: 10.12788/cutis.0152 -
Microbiome Oct 2020Viruses directly affect the most important biological processes in the ocean via their regulation of prokaryotic and eukaryotic populations. Marine sponges form stable...
BACKGROUND
Viruses directly affect the most important biological processes in the ocean via their regulation of prokaryotic and eukaryotic populations. Marine sponges form stable symbiotic partnerships with a wide diversity of microorganisms and this high symbiont complexity makes them an ideal model for studying viral ecology. Here, we used morphological and molecular approaches to illuminate the diversity and function of viruses inhabiting nine sponge species from the Great Barrier Reef and seven from the Red Sea.
RESULTS
Viromic sequencing revealed host-specific and site-specific patterns in the viral assemblages, with all sponge species dominated by the bacteriophage order Caudovirales but also containing variable representation from the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA virus families Mimiviridae, Marseilleviridae, Phycodnaviridae, Ascoviridae, Iridoviridae, Asfarviridae and Poxviridae. Whilst core viral functions related to replication, infection and structure were largely consistent across the sponge viromes, functional profiles varied significantly between species and sites largely due to differential representation of putative auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) and accessory genes, including those associated with herbicide resistance, heavy metal resistance and nylon degradation. Furthermore, putative AMGs varied with the composition and abundance of the sponge-associated microbiome. For instance, genes associated with antimicrobial activity were enriched in low microbial abundance sponges, genes associated with nitrogen metabolism were enriched in high microbial abundance sponges and genes related to cellulose biosynthesis were enriched in species that host photosynthetic symbionts.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results highlight the diverse functional roles that viruses can play in marine sponges and are consistent with our current understanding of sponge ecology. Differential representation of putative viral AMGs and accessory genes across sponge species illustrate the diverse suite of beneficial roles viruses can play in the functional ecology of these complex reef holobionts. Video Abstract.
Topics: Animals; Genome, Viral; Genomics; Microbiota; Phylogeny; Porifera; Symbiosis; Viruses
PubMed: 33008461
DOI: 10.1186/s40168-020-00919-5 -
Zootaxa Apr 2023This study describes 81 specimens belonging to Suberitida, collected during the projects Esponjas del Perú (ESPER), Esponjas da América do Sul (EsponjAS) and Semilla...
This study describes 81 specimens belonging to Suberitida, collected during the projects Esponjas del Perú (ESPER), Esponjas da América do Sul (EsponjAS) and Semilla UCSUR 2019 (Demospongiae) along the coast of Peru, down to 30 m depth. Using morphological analyses, eight species were identified, one of which is new to science: Halichondria (H.) cristata, H. (H.) prostrata, Hymeniacidon perlevis, Johannesia reticulosa, Plicatellopsis expansa, Suberites aff. latus, Terpios cf. granulosus and Suberites inti sp. nov. Halichondria (H.) cristata, originally from Tierra del Fuego (SW Atlantic), was found widely distributed along the coast of Peru (06° S-14° S). The Magellanican H. (H.) prostrata and the formerly Chilean endemic P. expansa are extended up to Central Peru (12° S). Hymeniacidon perlevis, which presents a highly variable morphology (colour, shape, and spicule size), is firstly reported from the SE Pacific and its continuous occurrence in Peru (04° S-17° S) should be monitored given its supposed invasive potential. Johannesia reticulosa, previously known from Chile (20° S) and southern Peru (13° S), was found further north (11° S). Suberites latus and T. granulosus were originally recorded far-off from the Peruvian coast, in British Columbia and Hawaii, respectively. Thus, the occurrences of Suberites aff. latus and Terpios cf. granulosus are unexpected and should receive special attention in future molecular studies assessing their taxonomical status. Suberites inti sp. nov. characterised by its skeleton with ectosomal bouquets and multispicular choanosomal tracts, and two categories of straight tylostyles, is provisionally endemic to Paracas (13° S). With these results, the number of shallow Suberitida from Peru increases from 2 to 9. However, this number might rise as sampling in deeper environments could bring descriptions of new records.
Topics: Animals; Peru; Suberites; Porifera
PubMed: 37518036
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5264.4.1