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Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Mar 2021Discussions of the function of early nervous systems usually focus on a causal flow from sensors to effectors, by which an animal coordinates its actions with exogenous... (Review)
Review
Discussions of the function of early nervous systems usually focus on a causal flow from sensors to effectors, by which an animal coordinates its actions with exogenous changes in its environment. We propose, instead, that much early sensing was ; it was responsive to the consequences of the animal's own actions. We distinguish two general categories of reafference-translocational and deformational-and use these to survey the distribution of several often-neglected forms of sensing, including gravity sensing, flow sensing and proprioception. We discuss sensing of these kinds in sponges, ctenophores, placozoans, cnidarians and bilaterians. Reafference is ubiquitous, as ongoing action, especially whole-body motility, will almost inevitably influence the senses. Corollary discharge-a pathway or circuit by which an animal tracks its own actions and their reafferent consequences-is not a necessary feature of reafferent sensing but a later-evolving mechanism. We also argue for the importance of reafferent sensing to the evolution of the , a form of organization that enables an animal to sense and act as a single unit. This article is part of the theme issue 'Basal cognition: multicellularity, neurons and the cognitive lens'.
Topics: Animals; Cnidaria; Ctenophora; Efferent Pathways; Nervous System; Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; Placozoa; Porifera; Proprioception
PubMed: 33550954
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0764 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2021Glycan-to-glycan binding was shown by biochemical and biophysical measurements to mediate xenogeneic self-recognition and adhesion in sponges, stage-specific cell... (Review)
Review
Glycan-to-glycan binding was shown by biochemical and biophysical measurements to mediate xenogeneic self-recognition and adhesion in sponges, stage-specific cell compaction in mice embryos, and in vitro tumor cell adhesion in mammals. This intermolecular recognition process is accepted as the new paradigm accompanying high-affinity and low valent protein-to-protein and protein-to-glycan binding in cellular interactions. Glycan structures in sponges have novel species-specific sequences. Their common features are the large size >100 kD, polyvalency >100 repeats of the specific self-binding oligosaccharide, the presence of fucose, and sulfated and/or pyruvylated hexoses. These structural and functional properties, different from glycosaminoglycans, inspired their classification under the glyconectin name. The molecular mechanism underlying homophilic glyconectin-to-glyconectin binding relies on highly polyvalent, strong, and structure-specific interactions of small oligosaccharide motifs, possessing ultra-weak self-binding strength and affinity. Glyconectin localization at the glycocalyx outermost cell surface layer suggests their role in the initial recognition and adhesion event during the complex and multistep process. In mammals, Le-to-Le homophilic binding is structure-specific and has ultra-weak affinity. Cell adhesion is achieved through highly polyvalent interactions, enabled by clustering of small low valent structure in plasma membranes.
Topics: Animals; Binding Sites; Cell Adhesion; Particle Size; Polymers; Polysaccharides; Porifera
PubMed: 33451117
DOI: 10.3390/molecules26020397 -
Biomolecules Feb 2021Marine sponges (porifera) have proved to be a prolific source of unique bioactive secondary metabolites, among which the alkaloids occupy a special place in terms of... (Review)
Review
Marine sponges (porifera) have proved to be a prolific source of unique bioactive secondary metabolites, among which the alkaloids occupy a special place in terms of unprecedented structures and outstanding biological activities. Identification of active cytotoxic alkaloids extracted from marine animals, particularly sponges, is an important strive, due to lack of knowledge on traditional experiential and ethnopharmacology investigations. In this report, a comprehensive survey of demospongian bioactive alkaloids in the range 1987-2020 had been performed with a special emphasis on the potent cytotoxic activity. Different resources and databases had been investigated, including Scifinder (database for the chemical literature) CAS (Chemical Abstract Service) search, web of science, Marin Lit (marine natural products research) database. More than 230 representatives of different classes of alkaloids had been reviewed and classified, different genera belonging to the phylum porifera had been shown to be a prolific source of alkaloidal molecules, including sp., sp., sp., sp., sp., sp., sp., sp., and sp., among others. The sufficient production of alkaloids derived from sponges is a prosperous approach that requires more attention in future studies to consider the constraints regarding the supply of drugs, attained from marine organisms.
Topics: Acridines; Alkaloids; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Aquatic Organisms; Biological Products; Chemistry; HCT116 Cells; HeLa Cells; Humans; Inhibitory Concentration 50; K562 Cells; MCF-7 Cells; Molecular Structure; Porifera
PubMed: 33578987
DOI: 10.3390/biom11020258 -
Journal of Natural Products May 2022Investigation of the marine sponge MeOH fractions using feature-based molecular networking, dereplication, and isolation led to the discovery of new... (Review)
Review
Investigation of the marine sponge MeOH fractions using feature-based molecular networking, dereplication, and isolation led to the discovery of new bromopyrrole-derived metabolites. An in-house library of bromopyrrole alkaloids previously isolated from and sp. was utilized, along with the investigation of an MS/MS fragmentation of these compounds. Our strategy led to the isolation and identification of the disparamides A-C (-), with a novel carbon skeleton. Additionally, new dispyrins B-F (-) and nagelamides H2 and H3 ( and ) and known nagelamide H (), citrinamine B (), ageliferin (), bromoageliferin (), and dibromoageliferin () were also isolated and identified by analysis of spectroscopic data. Analysis of MS/MS fragmentation data and molecular networking analysis indicated the presence of hymenidin (), oroidin (), dispacamide (), monobromodispacamide (), keramadine (), longamide B (), methyl ester of longamide B (), hanishin (), methyl ester of 3-debromolongamide B (), and 3-debromohanishin (). Antibacterial activity of ageliferin (), bromoageliferin (), and dibromoageliferin () was evaluated against susceptible and multi-drug-resistant ESKAPE pathogenic bacteria , , , , , and . Dibromoageliferin () displayed the most potent antimicrobial activity against all tested susceptible and MDR strains. Compounds - presented no significant hemolytic activity up to 100 μM.
Topics: Agelas; Alkaloids; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Escherichia coli; Esters; Molecular Structure; Porifera; Pyrroles; Tandem Mass Spectrometry
PubMed: 35427139
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.2c00094 -
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 -
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 -
Biological Reviews of the Cambridge... Dec 2020Sponges are a major component of benthic ecosystems across the world and fulfil a number of important functional roles. However, despite their importance, there have... (Review)
Review
Sponges are a major component of benthic ecosystems across the world and fulfil a number of important functional roles. However, despite their importance, there have been few attempts to compare sponge assemblage structure and ecological functions across large spatial scales. In this review, we examine commonalities and differences between shallow water (<100 m) sponges at bioregional (15 bioregions) and macroregional (tropical, Mediterranean, temperate, and polar) scales, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of sponge ecology. Patterns of sponge abundance (based on density and area occupied) were highly variable, with an average benthic cover between ~1 and 30%. Sponges were generally found to occupy more space (percentage cover) in the Mediterranean and polar macroregions, compared to temperate and tropical macroregions, although sponge densities (sponges m ) were highest in temperate bioregions. Mean species richness standardised by sampling area was similar across all bioregions, except for a few locations that supported very high small-scale biodiversity concentrations. Encrusting growth forms were generally the dominant sponge morphology, with the exception of the Tropical West Atlantic, where upright forms dominated. Annelids and Arthropods were the most commonly reported macrofauna associated with sponges across bioregions. With respect to reproduction, there were no patterns in gametic development (hermaphroditism versus gonochorism), although temperate, tropical, and polar macroregions had an increasingly higher percentage of viviparous species, respectively, with viviparity being the sole gamete development mechanism reported for polar sponges to date. Seasonal reproductive timing was the most common in all bioregions, but continuous timing was more common in the Mediterranean and tropical bioregions compared to polar and temperate bioregions. We found little variation across bioregions in larval size, and the dominant larval type across the globe was parenchymella. No pattens among bioregions were found in the limited information available for standardised respiration and pumping rates. Many organisms were found to predate sponges, with the abundance of sponge predators being higher in tropical systems. While there is some evidence to support a higher overall proportion of phototrophic species in the Tropical Austalian bioregion compared to the Western Atlantic, both also have large numbers of heterotrophic species. Sponges are important spatial competitors across all bioregions, most commonly being reported to interact with anthozoans and algae. Even though the available information was limited for many bioregions, our analyses demonstrate some differences in sponge traits and functions among bioregions, and among macroregions. However, we also identified similarities in sponge assemblage structure and function at global scales, likely reflecting a combination of regional- and local-scale biological and physical processes affecting sponge assemblages, along with common ancestry. Finally, we used our analyses to highlight geographic bias in past sponge research, and identify gaps in our understanding of sponge ecology globally. By so doing, we identified key areas for future research on sponge ecology. We hope that our study will help sponge researchers to consider bioregion-specific features of sponge assemblages and key sponge-mediated ecological processes from a global perspective.
Topics: Animals; Biodiversity; Ecosystem; Porifera; Water
PubMed: 32812691
DOI: 10.1111/brv.12637 -
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