Harnessing the power of the microbial metamobilome: using marine sponges as models to uncover novel biotechnological appliances from symbiont communities

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Metagenome-assembled genome sequences of three uncultured planktomarina sp. strains from the Northeast Atlantic Ocean

Publication . Marques, Matilde; Borges, Nuno; Silva, Sandra Godinho; da Rocha, Ulisses Nunes; Lago-Lestón, Asunción; Keller-Costa, Tina; Da Silva Costa, Rodrigo

We report three metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of Planktomarina strains from coastal seawater (Portugal) to help illuminate the functions of understudied Rhodobacteraceae bacteria in marine environments. The MAGs encode proteins involved in aerobic anoxygenic photosynthesis and a versatile carbohydrate metabolism, strengthening the role of Planktomarina species in oceanic carbon cycling.

2020Journal article

Open Access

Assessing the genomic composition, putative ecological relevance and biotechnological potential of plasmids from sponge bacterial symbionts

Publication . Oliveira, Vanessa; Polónia, Ana R. M.; Cleary, Daniel F. R.; Huang, Yusheng M.; de Voogd, Nicole J.; Keller-Costa, Tina; Costa, Rodrigo; Gomes, Newton C. M.

Plasmid-mediated transfer of genes can have direct consequences in several biological processes within sponge microbial communities. However, very few studies have attempted genomic and functional characterization of plasmids from marine host-associated microbial communities in general and those of sponges in particular. In the present study, we used an endogenous plasmid isolation method to obtain plasmids from bacterial symbionts of the marine sponges Stylissa carteri and Paratetilla sp. and investigated the genomic composition, putative ecological relevance and biotechnological potential of these plasmids. In total, we isolated and characterized three complete plasmids, three plasmid prophages and one incomplete plasmid. Our results highlight the importance of plasmids to transfer relevant genetic traits putatively involved in microbial symbiont adaptation and host-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions. For example, putative genes involved in bacterial response to chemical stress, competition, metabolic versatility and mediation of bacterial colonization and pathogenicity were detected. Genes coding for enzymes and toxins of biotechnological potential were also detected. Most plasmid prophage coding sequences were, however, hypothetical proteins with unknown functions. Overall, this study highlights the ecological relevance of plasmids in the marine sponge microbiome and provides evidence that plasmids of sponge bacterial symbionts may represent an untapped resource of genes of biotechnological interest.

2022-12Journal article

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