Abstract
Despite accumulating evidence of the importance of the jellyfish-associated microbiome to jellyfish, its potential relevance to blue biotechnology has only recently been recognized. In this review, we emphasize the biotechnological potential of host–microorganism systems and focus on gelatinous zooplankton as a host for the microbiome with biotechnological potential. The basic characteristics of jellyfish-associated microbial communities, the mechanisms underlying the jellyfish-microbe relationship, and the role/function of the jellyfish-associated microbiome and its biotechnological potential are reviewed. It appears that the jellyfish-associated microbiome is discrete from the microbial community in the ambient seawater, exhibiting a certain degree of specialization with some preferences for specific jellyfish taxa and for specific jellyfish populations, life stages, and body parts. In addition, different sampling approaches and methodologies to study the phylogenetic diversity of the jellyfish-associated microbiome are described and discussed. Finally, some general conclusions are drawn from the existing literature and future research directions are highlighted on the jellyfish-associated microbiome.
Highlights
The aim of this paper is to critically review the existing literature on the microbiome associated with jellyfish in terms of: (i) screening which jellyfish taxa have already been investigated for their associated microbiome and how many remain to be explored; (ii) different methodological approaches applied to study the jellyfish-associated microbiome; (iii) understanding the characteristics of the jellyfish-associated microbiome in terms of (a) degree of microbiome specialization, (b) preference of the microbiome for specific jellyfish taxa, and (c) specificity of the microbiome at the jellyfish population, (d) life stage, and (e) body part level; (iv) gaining insights into the composition and function of the jellyfish-associated microbiome; and (v) determining the biotechnological potential of the jellyfish-associated microbiome
The data on microbial community associated with C. lamarckii tentacles from the two available studies cannot be compared, since the taxonomic composition of the microbial community was not analyzed by Hao et al [39] and the data obtained by DGGE [38] and automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) [39] are not comparable due to the different resolutions of these two fingerprinting techniques
It was proposed that nitrifying bacteria could play an important role in the life cycle of jellyfish [40], as they are known to harbor key enzymes involved in the conversion of ammonia to hydroxylamine and further to nitric oxide, the latter known as an important messenger molecule to regulate metamorphosis in marine invertebrates [108], regulate swimming of the jellyfish Aglantha digitale [109], and facilitate the discharge of nematocytes in the sea anemone Aiptasia diaphana [110]
Summary
Our fascination with the hidden treasures of the ocean is evident since Jules Verne’s classic masterpiece Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, but only recently have we started to understand and unravel the incredible biotechnological potential of the ocean, in particular the potential locked in the vast diversity of marine microorganisms. A large set of bioactive compounds from marine microbes has been tested for their biomedical potential, such as antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral agents, anticancer and anti-inflammatory drugs, drug delivery agents, and others (reviewed in References [7,8,9,10]). It seems that the more peculiar, rich, or extreme their habitat is, the more biotechnologically interesting molecules microorganisms produce. This research is generating datasets that can be screened for novel microbial strains, genes, secondary metabolites, byproducts, and other compounds of microbial (and host) origin that could be exploited by the fast-growing blue biotechnology sector, in a process known as bioprospecting [1]
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