해양 해면 Asteropus simplex를 제주도에서 채집하여 배양에 의한 RFLP와 비배양에 의한 DGGE 분석 방법에 의해 세균군집 구조를 조사하였다. 16S rDNA-RFLP 분석을 위해 변형된 Zobell 배지와 MA를 이용하여 120균주를 선별하고 제한효소, HaeIII와 MspI을 사용하여 각각의 다른 RFLP 패턴으로 구분하였다. RFLP 패턴으로부터 유래한 16S rDNA 염기서열 분석결과, 알려진 세균 종과 94% 이상의 유사도를 나타내었으며 Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, 5개의 문이 관찰되었다. 그 중 Gammaproteobacteria가 우점하였다. 같은 해면, A. simplex의 DGGE 분석을 위해 total genomic DNA로부터 16S rDNA를 증폭하여 DGGE fingerprinting을 수행한 결과 12개의 서로 다른 밴드가 관찰되었다. 각 밴드의 16S rDNA 염기서열은 알려진 세균의 염기서열과 90% 이상의 유사성을 나타내었으며 대부분의 염기서열은 uncultured bacteria에 속하였다. DGGE 분석으로부터 미생물의 군집은 Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Deltaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Nitrospira, 7개의 문으로 나타났다. RFLP와 DGGE 방법에 의해 Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria가 공통적으로 발견되었으나 전체적인 공생세균의 군집구조는 분석방법에 따른 차이를 나타내었다. 배양에 의한 방법보다 비배양 방법에서 더 다양한 세균군집구조를 나타내었다. Culture-dependent RFLP and culture-independent DGGE were employed to investigate the bacterial community associated with the marine sponge Asteropus simplex collected from Jeju Island. A total of 120 bacterial strains associated with the sponge were cultivated using modified Zobell and MA media. PCR amplicons of the 16S rDNA from the bacterial strains were digested with the restriction enzymes HaeIII and MspI, and then assigned into different groups according to their restriction patterns. The 16S rDNA sequences derived from RFLP patterns showed more than 94% similarities compared with known bacterial species, and the isolates belonged to five phyla, Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes, of which Gammaproteobacteria was dominant. DGGE fingerprinting of 16S rDNAs amplified from the sponge-derived total gDNA showed 12 DGGE bands, and their sequences showed more than 90% similarities compared with available sequences. The sequences derived from DGGE bands revealed high similarity with the uncultured bacterial clones. DGGE revealed that bacterial community consisted of seven phyla, including Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Deltaproteobacteria, Actinobacteira, Chloroflexi, and Nitrospira. Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Actinobacteria were commonly found in bacteria associated with A. simplex by both RFLP and DGGE methods, however, overall bacterial community in the sponge differed depending on the analysis methods. Sponge showed more various bacterial community structures in culture-independent method than in culture-dependent method.