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International Journal of Molecular... Aug 2021Ferritins comprise a conservative family of proteins found in all species and play an essential role in resistance to redox stress, immune response, and cell...
Ferritins comprise a conservative family of proteins found in all species and play an essential role in resistance to redox stress, immune response, and cell differentiation. Sponges (Porifera) are the oldest Metazoa that show unique plasticity and regenerative potential. Here, we characterize the ferritins of two cold-water sponges using proteomics, spectral microscopy, and bioinformatic analysis. The recently duplicated conservative and atypical genes were found in the genome. Multiple related transcripts of were identified in the transcriptome. Expression of was much higher than that of in all annual seasons and regulated differently during the sponge dissociation/reaggregation. The presence of the MRE and HRE motifs in the and promotor regions and the IRE motif in mRNAs of and indicates that sponge ferritins expression depends on the cellular iron and oxygen levels. The gel electrophoresis combined with specific staining and mass spectrometry confirmed the presence of ferric ions and ferritins in multi-subunit complexes. The 3D modeling predicts the iron-binding capacity of HdF1 and HpF1 at the ferroxidase center and the absence of iron-binding in atypical HdF2. Interestingly, atypical ferritins lacking iron-binding capacity were found in genomes of many invertebrate species. Their function deserves further research.
Topics: Animals; Conserved Sequence; Ferritins; Iron; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Models, Molecular; Phylogeny; Porifera; Protein Domains; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Transcriptome
PubMed: 34445356
DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168635 -
Biological Reviews of the Cambridge... Feb 2023Choanoflagellates and sponges feed by filtering microscopic particles from water currents created by the flagella of microvillar collar complexes situated on the cell...
Choanoflagellates and sponges feed by filtering microscopic particles from water currents created by the flagella of microvillar collar complexes situated on the cell bodies of the solitary or colonial choanoflagellates and on the choanocytes in sponges. The filtering mechanism has been known for more than a century, but only recently has the filtering process been studied in detail and also modelled, so that a detailed picture of the water currents has been obtained. In the solitary and most of the colonial choanoflagellates, the water flows freely around the cells, but in some forms, the cells are arranged in an open meshwork through which the water can be pumped. In the sponges, the choanocytes are located in choanocyte chambers (or choanocyte areas) with separate incurrent and excurrent canals/pores located in a larger body, which enables a fixed pattern of water currents through the collar complexes. Previous theories for the origin of sponges show evolutionary stages with choanocyte chambers without any opening or with only one opening, which makes separation of incurrent and excurrent impossible, and such stages must have been unable to feed. Therefore a new theory is proposed, which shows a continuous evolutionary lineage in which all stages are able to feed by means of the collar complexes.
Topics: Animals; Hydrodynamics; Water; Porifera
PubMed: 36216338
DOI: 10.1111/brv.12909 -
Zootaxa May 2021The peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa has accelerated the rate of sponge (Porifera) species discoveries in 289 peer-reviewed papers published between 2002 up until the end...
The peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa has accelerated the rate of sponge (Porifera) species discoveries in 289 peer-reviewed papers published between 2002 up until the end of 2020, describing 725 new species, six new subspecies, 27 new genera, four new subgenera, and 123 new species and genus names needed to resolve existing homonyms. Zootaxa has been the most prolific of all taxonomic journals in its contributions to describing new taxa of Porifera in modern times. This present article analyses these taxonomic contributions over the past 20 years of Zootaxa, including their trends and highlights pertaining to sponge publications.
Topics: Animals; Periodicals as Topic; Porifera
PubMed: 34187015
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4979.1.8 -
BMC Biology May 2022Marine sponges (phylum Porifera) form symbioses with diverse microbial communities that can be transmitted between generations through their developmental stages. Here,... (Review)
Review
Marine sponges (phylum Porifera) form symbioses with diverse microbial communities that can be transmitted between generations through their developmental stages. Here, we integrate embryology and microbiology to review how symbiotic microorganisms are transmitted in this early-diverging lineage. We describe that vertical transmission is widespread but not universal, that microbes are vertically transmitted during a select developmental window, and that properties of the developmental microbiome depends on whether a species is a high or low microbial abundance sponge. Reproduction, development, and symbiosis are thus deeply rooted, but why these partnerships form remains the central and elusive tenet of these developmental symbioses.
Topics: Animals; Microbiota; Phylogeny; Porifera; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Reproduction; Symbiosis
PubMed: 35524305
DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01291-6 -
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in... Aug 2019Sponges, Neofibularia nolitangere, can regenerate spontaneously after being broken down into small pieces, and the regenerated structure maintains the original...
Sponges, Neofibularia nolitangere, can regenerate spontaneously after being broken down into small pieces, and the regenerated structure maintains the original appearance and function. Synthetic materials with such capabilities are highly desired but hardly achieved. Presented here is a sponge-inspired self-regenerative powder from a double-network (DN) tough hydrogel. Hydrogels are regenerated from their powder form, by addition of water, with preservation of the original appearance and mechanical properties. The powder-hydrogel-powder cycle can be repeated multiple times with little loss in mechanical properties, analogous to the regeneration of sponges. These DN hydrogels can be conveniently stored and easily shaped upon regeneration. This work may have implications in the development of regenerative materials for coatings and adhesives.
Topics: Animals; Carbohydrate Conformation; Hydrogels; Materials Testing; Particle Size; Porifera; Surface Properties
PubMed: 31179608
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201904932 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Feb 2023Sea sponges are the largest marine source of small-molecule natural products described to date. Sponge-derived molecules, such as the chemotherapeutic eribulin, the...
Sea sponges are the largest marine source of small-molecule natural products described to date. Sponge-derived molecules, such as the chemotherapeutic eribulin, the calcium-channel blocker manoalide, and antimalarial compound kalihinol A, are renowned for their impressive medicinal, chemical, and biological properties. Sponges contain microbiomes that control the production of many natural products isolated from these marine invertebrates. In fact, all genomic studies to date investigating the metabolic origins of sponge-derived small molecules concluded that microbes-not the sponge animal host-are the biosynthetic producers. However, early cell-sorting studies suggested the sponge animal host may play a role particularly in the production of terpenoid molecules. To investigate the genetic underpinnings of sponge terpenoid biosynthesis, we sequenced the metagenome and transcriptome of an isonitrile sesquiterpenoid-containing sponge of the order Bubarida. Using bioinformatic searches and biochemical validation, we identified a group of type I terpene synthases (TSs) from this sponge and multiple other species, the first of this enzyme class characterized from the sponge holobiome. The Bubarida TS-associated contigs consist of intron-containing genes homologous to sponge genes and feature GC percentage and coverage consistent with other eukaryotic sequences. We identified and characterized TS homologs from five different sponge species isolated from geographically distant locations, thereby suggesting a broad distribution amongst sponges. This work sheds light on the role of sponges in secondary metabolite production and speaks to the possibility that other sponge-specific molecules originate from the animal host.
Topics: Animals; Porifera; Aquatic Organisms; Microbiota; Metagenome; Biological Products; Phylogeny
PubMed: 36802428
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2220934120 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2022Pyrroloiminoquinones are a group of cytotoxic alkaloids most commonly isolated from marine sponges. Structurally, they are based on a tricyclic... (Review)
Review
Pyrroloiminoquinones are a group of cytotoxic alkaloids most commonly isolated from marine sponges. Structurally, they are based on a tricyclic pyrrolo[4,3,2-de]quinoline core and encompass marine natural products such as makaluvamines, tsitsikammamines and discorhabdins. These diverse compounds are known to exhibit a broad spectrum of biological activities including anticancer, antiplasmodial, antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral activities as well as the inhibition of several key cellular enzymes. The resurgence of interest in pyrroloiminoquinones and the convoluted understanding regarding their biological activities have prompted this review. Herein, we provided a concise summary of key findings and recent developments pertaining to their structural diversity, distribution, biogenesis, and their potential as chemical probes for drug development, including a discussion of promising synthetic analogs.
Topics: Animals; Pyrroloiminoquinones; Porifera; Antineoplastic Agents; Alkaloids; Drug Discovery; Biological Products
PubMed: 36557854
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27248724 -
MBio Dec 2022Chemists have studied marine animals for the better part of a century because they contain a diverse array of bioactive compounds. Tens of thousands of compounds have...
Chemists have studied marine animals for the better part of a century because they contain a diverse array of bioactive compounds. Tens of thousands of compounds have been reported, many with elaborate structural motifs and biological mechanisms of action found nowhere else. The challenge holding back the field has long been that of supply. Compounds are sometimes obtained by cultivating marine animals or by wild harvest, but this often presents logistical and environmental challenges. Some of the most medically important marine animal compounds are supplied by synthesis, often through multistep procedures that delay drug development. A relatively small number of such agents have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, often after a heroic effort. In a recent paper, Uppal and coworkers (https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01524-22) address key hurdles underlying the supply issue, discovering an uncultivated new bacterial genus from a marine sponge and reconstituting the biosynthetic pathway for expression.
Topics: Animals; Porifera; Bacteria; Drug Development; Drug Discovery; Biological Products
PubMed: 36314838
DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02499-22 -
Integrative and Comparative Biology Oct 2019The chemical ecology and chemical defenses of sponges have been investigated for decades; consequently, sponges are among the best understood marine organisms in terms... (Review)
Review
The chemical ecology and chemical defenses of sponges have been investigated for decades; consequently, sponges are among the best understood marine organisms in terms of their chemical ecology, from the level of molecules to ecosystems. Thousands of natural products have been isolated and characterized from sponges, and although relatively few of these compounds have been studied for their ecological functions, some are known to serve as chemical defenses against predators, microorganisms, fouling organisms, and other competitors. Sponges are hosts to an exceptional diversity of microorganisms, with almost 40 microbial phyla found in these associations to date. Microbial community composition and abundance are highly variable across host taxa, with a continuum from diverse assemblages of many microbial taxa to those that are dominated by a single microbial group. Microbial communities expand the nutritional repertoire of their hosts by providing access to inorganic and dissolved sources of nutrients. Not only does this continuum of microorganism-sponge associations lead to divergent nutritional characteristics in sponges, these associated microorganisms and symbionts have long been suspected, and are now known, to biosynthesize some of the natural products found in sponges. Modern "omics" tools provide ways to study these sponge-microbe associations that would have been difficult even a decade ago. Metabolomics facilitate comparisons of sponge compounds produced within and among taxa, and metagenomics and metatranscriptomics provide tools to understand the biology of host-microbe associations and the biosynthesis of ecologically relevant natural products. These combinations of ecological, microbiological, metabolomic and genomics tools, and techniques provide unprecedented opportunities to advance sponge biology and chemical ecology across many marine ecosystems.
Topics: Animals; Aquatic Organisms; Genome; Host Microbial Interactions; Microbiota; Porifera; Transcriptome
PubMed: 30942859
DOI: 10.1093/icb/icz014 -
Environmental Microbiology Reports Dec 2020Sponges have co-evolved for millions of years alongside several types of microorganisms, which aside from participating in the animal's diet, are mostly symbionts. Since... (Review)
Review
Sponges have co-evolved for millions of years alongside several types of microorganisms, which aside from participating in the animal's diet, are mostly symbionts. Since most of the genetic repertoire in the holobiont genome is provided by microbes, it is expected that the host-associated microbiome will be at least partially heritable. Sponges can therefore acquire their symbionts in different ways. Both vertical transmission (VT) and horizontal transmission (HT) have different advantages and disadvantages in the life cycle of these invertebrates. However, a third mode of transmission, called leaky vertical transmission or mixed mode of transmission (MMT), which incorporates both VT and HT modes, has gained relevance and seems to be the most robust model. In that regard, the aim of this review is to present the evolving knowledge on these main modes of transmission of the sponge microbiome. Our conclusions lead us to suggest that MMT may be more common for all sponges, with its frequency varying across the transmission spectrum between species and the environment. This hybrid model supports the stable and specific transmission of these microbial partners and reinforces their assistance in the resilience of sponges over the years.
Topics: Animals; Bacteria; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; Microbiota; Models, Biological; Phylogeny; Porifera; Symbiosis
PubMed: 33048474
DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12896