Genomic diversity and biosynthetic capabilities of sponge-associated chlamydiaeShow others and affiliations
2022 (English)In: The ISME Journal, ISSN 1751-7362, E-ISSN 1751-7370, Vol. 16, no 12, p. 2725-2740Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Sponge microbiomes contribute to host health, nutrition, and defense through the production of secondary metabolites. Chlamydiae, a phylum of obligate intracellular bacteria ranging from animal pathogens to endosymbionts of microbial eukaryotes, are frequently found associated with sponges. However, sponge-associated chlamydial diversity has not yet been investigated at the genomic level and host interactions thus far remain unexplored. Here, we sequenced the microbiomes of three sponge species and found high, though variable, Chlamydiae relative abundances of up to 18.7% of bacteria. Using genome-resolved metagenomics 18 high-quality sponge-associated chlamydial genomes were reconstructed, covering four chlamydial families. Among these, Candidatus Sororchlamydiaceae shares a common ancestor with Chlamydiaceae animal pathogens, suggesting long-term co-evolution with animals. Based on gene content, sponge-associated chlamydiae resemble members from the same family more than sponge-associated chlamydiae of other families, and have greater metabolic versatility than known chlamydial animal pathogens. Sponge-associated chlamydiae are also enriched in genes for degrading diverse compounds found in sponges. Unexpectedly, we identified widespread genetic potential for secondary metabolite biosynthesis across Chlamydiae, which may represent an unexplored source of novel natural products. This finding suggests that Chlamydiae members may partake in defensive symbioses and that secondary metabolites play a wider role in mediating intracellular interactions. Furthermore, sponge-associated chlamydiae relatives were found in other marine invertebrates, pointing towards wider impacts of the Chlamydiae phylum on marine ecosystems.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer Nature, 2022. Vol. 16, no 12, p. 2725-2740
National Category
Biochemistry Molecular Biology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-492425DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01305-9ISI: 000847611200001PubMedID: 36042324OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-492425DiVA, id: diva2:1725621
Funder
Swedish Research CouncilKnut and Alice Wallenberg FoundationEU, European Research Council, 310039EU, European Research Council, 817834Swedish Research Council, 2015-04959Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC), SNIC 2020/15-158Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC), SNIC 2019/3-474Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC), SNIC 2020/5-473Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC), SNIC 2019/5114Uppsala University2023-01-112023-01-112025-02-20Bibliographically approved