Biotechnological Potential of Marine Sponges and their Associated Bacteria as Producers of New Pharmaceuticals (Part I)

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carsten Thoms ◽  
Peter Schupp
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Marine Sponges ◽  
Sponge Tissue ◽  
Associated Bacteria ◽  
Biotechnological Potential ◽  
Highly Active ◽  
Medicinal Treatment ◽  
Microbial Infections ◽  
Sponge Associated Bacteria

AbstractThroughout human history natural products have provided the basis for medicinal treatment. About 60 years ago the advent of SCUBA diving techniques granted access to a thitherto untapped source of pharmacologically highly active natural products: the marine environment. In the oceans not plants but sessile animals, particularly sponges, have proven to be the most fruitful organisms in this context. Sponges have evolved a vast arsenal of chemical weapons to defend themselves against various threats from their environment. These molecules remarkably often show potent activities in pharmaceutical assays. Several sponge-derived compounds are already in clinical trials as agents against cancer, microbial infections, inflammation and other diseases. However, in many cases drug development is severely hampered by the limited supply of the respective compounds, as they are often present only in minute amounts in the sponge tissue. Big hope to circumvent this obstacle lies on the supposition that sponge-associated bacteria and not the sponges themselves are in many cases the true producers of the pharmaceutically relevant agents. Once these microorganisms are determined and cultivated outside the sponge tissue, they could be fermented for large-scale compound production. This in future could substantially increase the number of powerful sponge-derived drugs on the market.

scholarly journals Bioactivity Screening and Gene-Trait Matching across Marine Sponge-Associated Bacteria

Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Asimenia Gavriilidou ◽  
Thomas Andrew Mackenzie ◽  
Pilar Sánchez ◽  
José Ruben Tormo ◽  
Colin Ingham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Marine Sponges ◽  
Genetic Associations ◽  
Bioactive Substances ◽  
Associated Bacteria ◽  
Peptide Synthetases ◽  
Sponge Associated Bacteria ◽  
High Cytotoxicity

Marine sponges harbor diverse microbial communities that represent a significant source of natural products. In the present study, extracts of 21 sponge-associated bacteria were screened for their antimicrobial and anticancer activity, and their genomes were mined for secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). Phylogenetic analysis assigned the strains to four major phyla in the sponge microbiome, namely Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes. Bioassays identified one extract with anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) activity, and more than 70% of the total extracts had a moderate to high cytotoxicity. The most active extracts were derived from the Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, prominent for producing bioactive substances. The strong bioactivity potential of the aforementioned strains was also evident in the abundance of BGCs, which encoded mainly beta-lactones, bacteriocins, non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS), terpenes, and siderophores. Gene-trait matching was performed for the most active strains, aiming at linking their biosynthetic potential with the experimental results. Genetic associations were established for the anti-MRSA and cytotoxic phenotypes based on the similarity of the detected BGCs with BGCs encoding natural products with known bioactivity. Overall, our study highlights the significance of combining in vitro and in silico approaches in the search of novel natural products of pharmaceutical interest.

scholarly journals Pathogenic Viruses Commonly Present in the Oral Cavity and Relevant Antiviral Compounds Derived from Natural Products

Medicines ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisuke Asai ◽  
Hideki Nakashima
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Antiviral Agents ◽  
Marine Sponges ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
Human Oral Cavity ◽  
Antiviral Compounds

Many viruses, such as human herpesviruses, may be present in the human oral cavity, but most are usually asymptomatic. However, if individuals become immunocompromised by age, illness, or as a side effect of therapy, these dormant viruses can be activated and produce a variety of pathological changes in the oral mucosa. Unfortunately, available treatments for viral infectious diseases are limited, because (1) there are diseases for which no treatment is available; (2) drug-resistant strains of virus may appear; (3) incomplete eradication of virus may lead to recurrence. Rational design strategies are widely used to optimize the potency and selectivity of drug candidates, but discovery of leads for new antiviral agents, especially leads with novel structures, still relies mostly on large-scale screening programs, and many hits are found among natural products, such as extracts of marine sponges, sea algae, plants, and arthropods. Here, we review representative viruses found in the human oral cavity and their effects, together with relevant antiviral compounds derived from natural products. We also highlight some recent emerging pharmaceutical technologies with potential to deliver antivirals more effectively for disease prevention and therapy.

scholarly journals Multiple Approaches To Enhance the Cultivability of Bacteria Associated with the Marine SpongeHaliclona(gellius) sp.

2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 2130-2140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Detmer Sipkema ◽  
Klaske Schippers ◽  
Wouter J. Maalcke ◽  
Yu Yang ◽  
Sina Salim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clone Library ◽  
Agar Plate ◽  
Signal Molecules ◽  
Sponge Tissue ◽  
Associated Bacteria ◽  
Liquid Cultures ◽  
Sponge Associated Bacteria ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Large Clone ◽  
Group 1

ABSTRACTThree methods were examined to cultivate bacteria associated with the marine spongeHaliclona(gellius) sp.: agar plate cultures, liquid cultures, and floating filter cultures. A variety of oligotrophic media were employed, including media with aqueous and organic sponge extracts, bacterial signal molecules, and siderophores. More than 3,900 isolates were analyzed, and 205 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified. Media containing low concentrations of mucin or a mixture of peptone and starch were most successful for the isolation of diversity, while the commonly used marine broth did not result in a high diversity among isolates. The addition of antibiotics generally led to a reduced diversity on plates but yielded different bacteria than other media. In addition, diversity patterns of isolates from agar plates, liquid cultures, and floating filters were significantly different. Almost 89% of all isolates wereAlphaproteobacteria; however, members of phyla that are less commonly encountered in cultivation studies, such asPlanctomycetes,Verrucomicrobia, andDeltaproteobacteria, were isolated as well. The sponge-associated bacteria were categorized into three different groups. The first group represented OTUs that were also obtained in a clone library from previously analyzed sponge tissue (group 1). Furthermore, we distinguished OTUs that were obtained from sponge tissue (in a previous study) but not from sponge isolates (group 2), and there were also OTUs that were not obtained from sponge tissue but were obtained from sponge isolates (group 3). The 17 OTUs categorized into group 1 represented 10 to 14% of all bacterial OTUs that were present in a large clone library previously generated fromHaliclona(gellius) sp. sponge tissue, which is higher than previously reported cultivability scores for sponge-associated bacteria. Six of these 17 OTUs were not obtained from agar plates, which underlines that the use of multiple cultivation methods is worthwhile to increase the diversity of the cultivable microorganisms from sponges.

scholarly journals Investigation of biotechnological potential of sponge‐associated bacteria collected in B razilian coast

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
O.C.S. Santos ◽  
A.R. Soares ◽  
F.L.S. Machado ◽  
M.T.V. Romanos ◽  
G. Muricy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Associated Bacteria ◽  
Biotechnological Potential ◽  
Sponge Associated Bacteria

scholarly journals Cyclic Dipeptides Produced by Marine Sponge-Associated Bacteria as Quorum Sensing Signals

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1400900
Author(s):  
Gennaro Roberto Abbamondi ◽  
Salvatore De Rosa ◽  
Carmine Iodice ◽  
Giuseppina Tommonaro
Keyword(s):  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Quorum Quenching ◽  
Marine Sponges ◽  
Bacterial Strains ◽  
Signal Molecule ◽  
Associated Bacteria ◽  
Cyclic Dipeptides ◽  
Sponge Associated Bacteria ◽  
Dysidea Avara ◽  
Quorum Sensing Signals

Four bacterial strains belonging to the genera Vibrio, Pseudoalteromonas and Photobacterium were isolated from the marine sponges Dysidea avara and Geodia cynodium. A Bacillus strain was isolated from Ircinia variabilis. A screening of molecules involved in quorum sensing (QS) was carried out by TLC-overlay and a new “plate T-streak” test. To analyze quorum quenching (QQ), a plate T-streak was performed with Chromobacterium violaceum. Strains of Vibrio isolated from both marine sponges and a strain of Photobacterium isolated from G. cynodium, activated QS bioreporters. A strain of Pseudoalteromonas isolated from D. avara showed QQ activity. Finally, it is reported that cyclic dipeptides isolated from strains of Vibrio sp. and Bacillus sp. (isolated from D. avara and I. variabilis, respectively) were involved in the QS mechanism. The simultaneous presence of bacteria that showed contrasting responses in bioassays for QS signal molecule synthesis in marine sponges could add an interesting dimension to the signalling interactions which may be happening in sponges.

Biotechnological Potential of Sponge-Associated Bacteria

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Santos-Gandelman ◽  
Marcia Giambiagi-deMarval ◽  
Walter Oelemann ◽  
Marinella Laport
Keyword(s):  
Associated Bacteria ◽  
Biotechnological Potential ◽  
Sponge Associated Bacteria

scholarly journals The The colourful chemistry of South African latrunculid sponges

2019 ◽  
Vol 115 (5/6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Davies-Coleman ◽  
Edith M. Antunes ◽  
Denzil R. Beukes ◽  
Toufiek Samaai
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
South African ◽  
Marine Natural Products ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Short Review ◽  
Marine Sponges ◽  
Organic Chemical ◽  
Sponge Tissue ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Rich Diversity

Marine sponges – in common with many other sessile marine invertebrates seemingly devoid of obvious physical forms of defence against predators, e.g. spines or shells – are the sources of a diverse array of organic chemical compounds known as marine natural products or secondary metabolites. Recent research has indicated that the production of natural products via cellular secondary metabolic pathways in some sponge species may not occur within the sponge cells themselves, but rather in microbial endosymbionts which inhabit the surface and interstitial spaces within the sponge tissue. Regardless of their biosynthetic origin, the bioactivity, e.g. toxicity, of many of these marine natural products may be utilised by sponges as chemical feeding deterrents to discourage predation or to provide a chemical anti-fouling competitive edge in the intense competition for living space amongst filter-feeders on space-limited benthic reefs. Paradoxically, a small number of sponge natural products have serendipitously shown potential as new pharmaceuticals, e.g. novel anti-cancer drugs. Marine biodiscovery (or bioprospecting) is the search for new pharmaceuticals from marine organisms. Exploration of the taxonomy, natural products chemistry and biomedicinal potential of the rich diversity of South African latrunculid sponges (family Latrunculiidae), at Rhodes University, the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and the University of the Western Cape has continued unabated for over a quarter of a century as part of a collaborative marine biodiscovery programme. A short review of this multidisciplinary latrunculid sponge research is presented here.

scholarly journals A Metataxonomic Approach Reveals Diversified Bacterial Communities in Antarctic Sponges

Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 173
Author(s):  
Nadia Ruocco ◽  
Roberta Esposito ◽  
Marco Bertolino ◽  
Gianluca Zazo ◽  
Michele Sonnessa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Morphological Analysis ◽  
Marine Sponges ◽  
Bioactive Metabolites ◽  
Associated Bacteria ◽  
Sponge Associated Bacteria ◽  
Antarctic Research ◽  
Pharmacologically Active ◽  
Pharmacologically Active Compounds ◽  
Antarctic Sponges

Marine sponges commonly host a repertoire of bacterial-associated organisms, which significantly contribute to their health and survival by producing several anti-predatory molecules. Many of these compounds are produced by sponge-associated bacteria and represent an incredible source of novel bioactive metabolites with biotechnological relevance. Although most investigations are focused on tropical and temperate species, to date, few studies have described the composition of microbiota hosted by Antarctic sponges and the secondary metabolites that they produce. The investigation was conducted on four sponges collected from two different sites in the framework of the XXXIV Italian National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA) in November–December 2018. Collected species were characterized as Mycale (Oxymycale) acerata, Haliclona (Rhizoniera) dancoi, Hemigellius pilosus and Microxina sarai by morphological analysis of spicules and amplification of four molecular markers. Metataxonomic analysis of these four Antarctic sponges revealed a considerable abundance of Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) belonging to the phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria and Verrucomicrobia. In particular, M. (Oxymycale) acerata, displayed several genera of great interest, such as Endozoicomonas, Rubritalea, Ulvibacter, Fulvivirga and Colwellia. On the other hand, the sponges H. pilosus and H. (Rhizoniera) dancoi hosted bacteria belonging to the genera Pseudhongella, Roseobacter and Bdellovibrio, whereas M. sarai was the sole species showing some strains affiliated to the genus Polaribacter. Considering that most of the bacteria identified in the present study are known to produce valuable secondary metabolites, the four Antarctic sponges could be proposed as potential tools for the discovery of novel pharmacologically active compounds.

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