Resumen de Study of the community structure and functional features of the Haliclona fulva associated microbiome and possible relationships with its composite holobiont metabolome
Haliclona fulva is a marine sponge species from the Mediterranean coralligenous producing original secondary metabolites with biotechnological potential. I am reporting the first detailed description of its microbiome composition by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and metagenome shotgun sequencing, and the development and evaluation of sponge cultures in aquaria examined as a model holobiont system. I tested the possible effects on microbiome and metabolome content and stability of environmental variables related to human-induced global climate change, temperature and light. I had determined consistently and reproducibly that H. fulva has a unique, stable and highly enriched microbial community dominated by two symbionts in sponge specimens in the wild or cultured in aquaria: Nitrosomonadales (Uncultured Betaproteobacteria named HF1) and Thaumarchaeota (Cenarchaeum symbiosum) representing a remarkable ~70% of the total symbiotic bacterial community. Stressors tested on sponge cultures did not evidence drastic changes on microbiome composition of abundant groups, only minor shifts of rare groups at 1h or 24h after disturbances. Light and temperature did not affect idiosyncratic H. fulva metabolites renierins and fulvynes, while temperature (31º C) caused a significant decrease in peptides after 1 h of disturbance. Sequencing-based metagenomics showed sequences mainly associated with metabolism and information storage and processing, and a high percent of reads (39%) are classified as virus, pointing out a link of this component with the microbiome maintenance in H. fulva. In conclusion, this work provides a comprehensive baseline about H. fulva as a suitable marine holobiont model for studying basic and environmental aspects and for biotechnological applications.
