Lendenfeldia Chondrodes Research Articles

Body-Plan Reorganization in a Sponge Correlates with Microbiome Change.

Mounting evidence suggests that animals and their associated bacteria interact via intricate molecular mechanisms, and it is hypothesized that disturbances to the microbiome influence animal development. Here, we show that the loss of a key photosymbiont (i.e., bleaching) upon shading correlates with a stark body-plan reorganization in the common aquarium cyanosponge Lendenfeldia chondrodes. The morphological changes observed in shaded sponges include the development of a thread-like morphology that contrasts with the flattened, foliose morphology of control specimens. The microanatomy of shaded sponges markedly differed from that of control sponges, with shaded specimens lacking a well-developed cortex and choanosome. Also, the palisade of polyvacuolar gland-like cells typical in control specimens was absent in shaded sponges. The morphological changes observed in shaded specimens are coupled with broad transcriptomic changes and include the modulation of signaling pathways involved in animal morphogenesis and immune response, such as the Wnt, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), and TLR-ILR pathways. This study provides a genetic, physiological, and morphological assessment of the effect of microbiome changes on sponge postembryonic development and homeostasis. The correlated response of the sponge host to the collapse of the population of symbiotic cyanobacteria provides evidence for a coupling between the sponge transcriptomic state and the state of its microbiome. This coupling suggests that the ability of animals to interact with their microbiomes and respond to microbiome perturbations has deep evolutionary origins in this group.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers isolated from the marine sponge Lendenfeldia chondrodes collected in Mayotte

CDK7 and FynB protein kinases have been recognized as relevant targets for cancer and brain diseases treatment due to their pivotal regulatory roles in cellular functions such as cell cycle and neural signal transduction. Several studies demonstrated that the inhibition of these proteins could be useful in altering the onset or progression of these diseases. Based on bioassay-guided approach, the extract of the marine sponge Lendenfeldia chondrodes (Thorectidae), which exhibited interesting kinase inhibitory activities, was fractionated. The investigation led to the isolation of five known 1–5 and one new 6 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Their structure elucidation was established based on spectroscopic data (NMR and HRMS) and comparison with literature data.

Uptake of inorganic and organic phosphorus compounds by two marine sponges and their associated bacterial communities in aquaria.

Marine sponges are abundant filter-feeders in benthic ecosystems and many host copious microorganisms. Sponges and their symbionts have emerged as major players within marine biogeochemical cycles, facilitating uptake and release of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. Sponge holobionts' role in transforming dissolved carbon and nitrogen is well established; however, the same depth of understanding has not yet been extended to phosphorus. In this aquaria-based study, 32 P-labelled orthophosphate and ATP were used to determine that two sponges, Lendenfeldia chondrodes and Hymeniacidon heliophila, both take up ambient dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) and dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP). Subsequent genetic analyses and chemical extraction showed that sponge symbionts have the potential to synthesise polyphosphate (poly-P) and that this energy-rich form of stored phosphorus is present in both sponges. L. chondrodes, an oligotrophic sponge with a microbiome dominated by cyanobacteria, stores more phosphorus as poly-P (6%-8% of total phosphorus) than H. heliophila (0.55%), a eutrophic sponge with low cyanobacterial abundance. DIP/DOP uptake, as well as poly-P storage, may be driven by two factors: cyanobacterial abundance and nutrient availability. Considering their prevalence in phosphorus-limited ecosystems and their ability to pump large amounts of seawater, sponge holobionts are likely to be key players within benthic phosphorus cycles.

Light Availability Affects the Symbiosis of Sponge Specific Cyanobacteria and the Common Blue Aquarium Sponge (Lendenfeldia chondrodes).

Simple SummaryMarine sponges contain associated microorganisms in high numbers. This study gives insight into how environmental conditions such as light availability affects the symbiotic relationship between phototrophic bacteria that obtain energy from sunlight for the synthesis of organic compounds and the marine host in which they are found. A controlled aquarium experiment with defined light levels ranging from darkness to higher light intensity demonstrates how light conditions change the number of these bacteria and, consequently, host performance. Sponge growth performance was significantly affected by the number of these bacteria. Moreover, the common blue aquarium sponge Lendenfeldia chondrodes has proven to be perfectly suited as a model organism to study marine host-symbiont interactions.Bacterial symbionts in marine sponges play a decisive role in the biological and ecological functioning of their hosts. Although this topic has been the focus of numerous studies, data from experiments under controlled conditions are rare. To analyze the ongoing metabolic processes, we investigated the symbiosis of the sponge specific cyanobacterium Synechococcus spongiarum and its sponge host Lendenfeldia chondrodes under varying light conditions in a defined aquarium setting for 68 days. Sponge clonal pieces were kept at four different light intensities, ranging from no light to higher intensities that were assumed to trigger light stress. Growth as a measure of host performance and photosynthetic yield as a proxy of symbiont photosynthetic activity were measured throughout the experiment. The lack of light prevented sponge growth and induced the expulsion of all cyanobacteria and related pigments by the end of the experiment. Higher light conditions allowed rapid sponge growth and high cyanobacteria densities. In addition, photosynthetically active radiation above a certain level triggered an increase in cyanobacteria’s lutein levels, a UV absorbing protein, thus protecting itself and the host’s cells from UV radiation damage. Thus, L. chondrodes seems to benefit strongly from hosting the cyanbacterium S. spongiarum and the relationship should be considered obligatory mutualistic.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers isolated from the marine sponge Lendenfeldia chondrodes collected in Mayotte

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers isolated from the marine sponge Lendenfeldia chondrodes collected in Mayotte

Short-Term Exposure to High-Temperature Water Causes a Shift in the Microbiome of the Common Aquarium Sponge Lendenfeldia chondrodes

Marine sponges harbor diverse microbiomes that contribute to their energetic and metabolic needs. Although numerous studies on sponge microbial diversity exist, relatively few focused on sponge microbial community changes under different sources of environmental stress. In this study, we assess the impact of elevated seawater temperature on the microbiome of cultured Lendenfeldia chondrodes, a coral reef sponge commonly found in marine aquaria. Lendenfeldia chondrodes exhibits high thermal tolerance showing no evidence of tissue damage or bleaching at 5 °C above control water temperature (26 °C). High-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA V4 region revealed a response of the microbiome of L. chondrodes to short-term exposure to elevated seawater temperature. Shifts in abundance and richness of the dominant bacterial phyla found in the microbiome of this species, namely Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Planctomycetes, and Bacteroidetes, characterized this response. The observed resilience of L. chondrodes and the responsiveness of its microbiome to short-term increases in seawater temperature suggest that this holobiont may be capable of acclimating to anthropogenic-driven sublethal environmental stress via a re-accommodation of its associated bacterial community. This sheds a new light on the potential for resilience of some sponges to increasing surface seawater temperatures and associated projected regime shifts in coral reefs.

Identification of an aquaculture poriferan "Pest with Potential" and its phylogenetic implications.

Correct identification and classification of sponges is challenging due to ambiguous or misleading morphological features. A particular case is a blue keratose sponge occasionally referred to as the “Blue Photo Sponge” among aquarists, which appears frequently (and in several cases unintended) in private aquaria. This spicule-less species, occasionally specified as Collospongia auris Bergquist, Cambie & Kernan 1990, not only displays a high phenotypic plasticity in growth form and colour, it also proliferates in aquacultures under standard conditions unlike most other sponges. Therefore, this species is regarded as a pest for most aquarists. In turn, the ease of cultivation and propagation in aquacultures qualifies this species as a model organism for a wide array of scientific applications. For these purposes, correct identification and classification are indispensable. We reconstructed ribosomal gene trees and determined this species as Lendenfeldia chondrodes (De Laubenfels, 1954) (Phyllospongiinae), distant to Collospongia auris, and corroborated by skeletal features. Additionally, the resulting phylogeny corroborated major shortcomings of the current Phyllospongiinae classification—its consequences are discussed.

Two New Mycosporine-like Amino Acids LC-343 and Mycosporine-ethanolamine from the Micronesian Marine Sponge Lendenfeldia chondrodes

Abstract New mycosporine-like amino acids (MAA) LC-343 (1) and mycosporine-ethanolamine (2) along with known MAAs asterina-330 (3) and shinorine (4) were isolated from the Micronesian marine sponge Lendenfeldia chondrodes. The structures of 1 and 2 were determined on the basis of their spectroscopic and spectrometric data as well as chemical degradation. LC-343 (1) is the first MAA possessing N-methylated iminium substructure. Absorption maximum (λmax) for each 2, 3, 4, and 1 was 310, 330, 332, and 343, respectively.

Enhancing the biodiversity of coastal defence structures: transplantation of nursery-reared reef biota onto intertidal seawalls

Natural coastlines around the world are increasingly being modified and replaced by breakwaters, revetments and seawalls. Although such infrastructure is primarily intended to protect existing and new shorelines from erosion, such coastal defence structures can also serve as viable habitats for biological communities. In this study, the feasibility of transplanting reef biota to the intertidal zone of seawalls was explored. Fragments of hard corals (Porites lobata, Pocillopora damicornis, Hydnophora rigida, Diploastrea heliopora, Goniastrea minuta), soft corals (Cladiella sp., Lobophytum sp., Sinularia sp.) and sponges (Rhabdastrella globostellata, Spongia ceylonensis, Lendenfeldia chondrodes) were collected and reared in an ex situ mariculture facility. They were then transferred and affixed to intertidal surfaces of a seawall located on a small island off Changi, Singapore. Survivorship was significantly different between G. minuta and D. heliopora fragments transplanted on the seawall for 13 months (90% vs 10%; χ2=42.29, p<0.001). For the remaining nine species transplanted for 24 months, survivorship was significantly different among the hard corals (χ2=19.59), soft corals (χ2=41.94) and sponges (χ2=50.97) (all p<0.001). Among the nine species, transplants of the soft coral Lobophytum, the sponge L. chondrodes and the hard coral P. lobata fared the best, registering high overall survivorship (87.5%, 68.1%, and 47.4%, respectively), long mean survival times (21.6 months, 17.8 months, and 12.3 months, respectively), and fast growth (50-fold, 23-fold and 10-fold increases in size, respectively) 24 months post-transplantation. In contrast, Pocillopora damicornis, H. rigida and R. globostellata were unable to establish on the seawall, with all transplants of the former two species perishing within two months, and those of the latter species succumbing 18 months after transplantation. Overall, species with massive and encrusting growth forms were most successful at establishing on the seawall, and were even observed to function as food and shelter for reef fish and gastropods. These results indicate that the transplantation of nursery-reared reef biota is a viable strategy that enhances the ecological value of seawalls.

ChemInform Abstract: Enantiodivergent Syntheses of (‐)‐ and (+)‐Dysibetaine CPa and N‐Desmethyl Analogue.

AbstractThe total syntheses of (‐)‐(I), isolated from Lendenfeldia chondrodes, and its antipode render possible the unambiguous determination of the absolute configuration.

Antinociceptive effects of MSVIII-19, a functional antagonist of the GluK1 kainate receptor

The ionotropic glutamate receptor subunit, GluK1 (GluR5), is expressed in many regions of the nervous system related to sensory transmission. Recently, a selective ligand for the GluK1 receptor, MSVIII-19 (8,9-dideoxy-neodysiherbaine), was synthesized as a derivative of dysiherbaine, a toxin isolated from the marine sponge Lendenfeldia chondrodes. MSVIII-19 potently desensitizes GluK1 receptors without channel activation, rendering it useful as a functional antagonist. Given the high selectivity for GluK1 and the proposed role for this glutamate receptor in nociception, we sought to test the analgesic potential of MSVIII-19 in a series of models of inflammatory, neuropathic, and visceral pain in mice. MSVIII-19 delivered intrathecally dose-dependently reduced formalin-induced spontaneous behaviors and reduced thermal hypersensitivity 3 hours after formalin injection and 24 hours after complete Freund’s adjuvant-induced inflammation, but had no effect on mechanical sensitivity in the same models. Intrathecal MSVIII-19 significantly reduced both thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical hypersensitivity in the chronic constriction injury model of neuropathic pain, but had no effect in the acetic acid model of visceral pain. Peripheral administration of MSVIII-19 had no analgesic efficacy in any of these models. Finally, intrathecal MSVIII-19 did not alter responses in Tail-flick tests or performance on the accelerating RotaRod. These data suggest that spinal administration of MSVIII-19 reverses hypersensitivity in several models of pain in mice, supporting the clinical potential of GluK1 antagonists for the management of pain. Spinal administration of a GluK1 antagonist shows analgesic efficacy in several mouse models, supporting the clinical potential of GluK1 antagonists for pain management.

Cellular Origin of Dysiherbaine, an Excitatory Amino Acid Derived from a Marine Sponge

The cellular origin of dysiherbaine, a marine-sponge toxin, was investigated immunohistochemically by using an anti-dysiherbaine antibody. Dysiherbaine-like immunoreactivity was found to be localized in spherical cells harbored in the sponge mesohyl. A combination of ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) analysis and cell-morphology analysis revealed that the spherical cells were Synechocystis cyanobacteria. However, the sponge, identified as Lendenfeldia chondrodes on the basis of its rDNA sequence, appeared to contain two different chemotypes--dysiherbaine-producing (DH+) and nondysiherbaine-producing (DH-)--both of which inhabited the same region. Synechocystis cells in the DH- sponge were not labeled with antibody, although the 16S rDNA gene profile of the cyanobacteria in the DH- sponge was indistinguishable from that of the cyanobacteria in the DH+ sponge. On the basis of these results, we hypothesize that dysiherbaine is a metabolite of certain varieties of endosymbiotic Synechocystis sp.

1-Deoxynojirimycin Derivatives from the Marine Sponge Lendenfeldia chondrodes

Two 1-deoxynojirimycin derivatives, 1-deoxynojirimycin-6-phosphate (1) and N-methyl-1-deoxynojirimycin-6-phosphate (2) were isolated from an aqueous extract of Micronesian marine sponge Lendenfeldia chondrodes for the first time as natural products. Structures of these compounds were assigned on the basis of their spectral data and chemical degradation.

Investigation of Oscillatoria spongeliae-dominated bacterial communities in four dictyoceratid sponges.

Certain species of marine sponges in the order Dictyoceratida harbor large populations of the cyanobacterial symbiont Oscillatoria spongeliae in the mesohyl (interior) of the sponge. We show that in four of these sponge species (Lamellodysidea herbacea, Lamellodysidea chlorea, Lendenfeldia chondrodes, and Phyllospongia papyracea) from Palau there is a consistent community of alpha-proteobacteria in addition to O. spongeliae that fall within the Rhodobacter group based on 16S rRNA gene analysis. Some of the alpha-proteobacteria in Lendenfeldia chondrodes and P. papyracea but not in the Lamellodysidea spp. contained site-specific insertions in the 16S rRNA gene. Reverse transcription-PCR experiments demonstrated that the largest insertion found in this study (63 bp) is present in the mature rRNA. Lendenfeldia chondrodes was the only sponge found to have another cyanobacterium in the tissue, a Synechocystis sp. We found that the Synechocystis sp. was present in both the pinacoderm (surface epithelial tissue) and mesohyl, in contrast to O. spongeliae, which was only found in the mesohyl through the use of specific fluorescence in situ hybridization experiments. Of the four sponge species, only P. papyracea was found to contain a significant number of gamma-proteobacteria. These results demonstrate that O. spongeliae-dominated bacterial communities in different sponge species can vary considerably and increase our understanding of the bacterial communities found in marine invertebrates.

A new epidioxy sterol as an antifouling substance from a palauan marine sponge, lendenfeldia chondrodes

Bioassay-guided fractionation of an extract of a marine sponge, Lendenfeldia chondrodes, has led to the isolation and identification of new epidioxy sterols 1a and 1b as an inseparable mixture. Two known epidioxy sterols 2 and 3 and three known sesterterpenes 4-6 were also isolated from the same extract. These compounds showed repellent activity against the blue mussel Mytilus edulis galloprovincialis.