Abstract
Interest in bioactive pigments stems from their ecological role in adaptation, as well as their applications in various consumer products. The production of these bioactive pigments can be from a variety of biological sources, including simple microorganisms that may or may not be associated with a host. This study is particularly interested in the marine sponges, which have been known to harbor microorganisms that produce secondary metabolites like bioactive pigments. In this study, marine sponge tissue samples were collected from Puhi Bay off the Eastern shore of Hilo, Hawai‘i and subsequently were identified as Petrosia sp. with red pigmentation. Using surface sterilization and aseptic plating of sponge tissue samples, sponge-associated microorganisms were isolated. One isolate (PPB1) produced a colony with red pigmentation like that of Petrosia sp., suggesting an integral relationship between this particular isolate and the sponge of interest. 16S characterization and sequencing of PPB1 revealed that it belonged to the Pseudoalteromonas genus. Using various biological assays, both antimicrobial and antioxidant bioactivity was shown in Pseudoalteromonas sp. PPB1 crude extract. To further investigate the genetics of pigment production, a draft genome of PPB1 was sequenced, assembled, and annotated. This revealed a prodiginine biosynthetic pathway and the first cited-incidence of a prodiginine-producing Pseudoalteromonas species isolated from a marine sponge host. Further understanding into the bioactivity and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites like pigmented prodiginine may uncover the complex ecological interactions between host sponge and microorganism.
Highlights
Interest in bioactive pigment production and isolation has been on the rise due to their versatile uses in cosmetics, food supplements, pharmaceuticals, and textile dyes (Tuli et al, 2015; Hernández-Almanza et al, 2017; Ramesh et al, 2019b)
PPB1 inhibited the growth of other marine bacteria from the Petrosia sponge tissue and included
This study highlighted the antibacterial activity of PPB1 crude extract toward marine bacterial species, suggesting a competitive and protective role this microorganism has within its host environment
Summary
Interest in bioactive pigment production and isolation has been on the rise due to their versatile uses in cosmetics, food supplements, pharmaceuticals, and textile dyes (Tuli et al, 2015; Hernández-Almanza et al, 2017; Ramesh et al, 2019b). Focus has shifted from synthetic pigments to natural pigments for industrial application because of their sustainability and high yield in production, non-toxic nature, and low-impact on the environment (Ramesh et al, 2019a,b) These natural pigments are derived from various biological sources including invertebrates (e.g., carotenoids, indigotins), plants (e.g., carotenoids, anthocyanins), microorganisms (e.g., prodiginines, violacein), and contribute key ecological roles such as defense against environmental adaptations and protection against predation (Bandaranayake, 2006; Venil et al, 2014; Leong et al, 2018; Tan et al, 2020). Sponges lack an overall muscular and nervous system, they are still able to sense and respond to changes within their environment This may be due to their siliceous spicule system, which has been hypothesized to work as a potential networking system in place of the nervous system through the use of cryptochrome-based photoreception (Perovicet al., 1999). Current spongology classifies sponges based on one of three types of spicule composition: (i) calcium carbonate (Calcarea), (ii) glass, siliceous (Hexactinellida), or (iii) spongin (Demospongiae) (Pallela et al, 2011)
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