PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Different sponge species have highly specific, stable microbiomes, MBL team reports

2014-01-21
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Diana Kenney
dkenney@mbl.edu
508-289-7139
Marine Biological Laboratory
Different sponge species have highly specific, stable microbiomes, MBL team reports

WOODS HOLE, Mass. —The sea sponge is about as simple as an animal can get, but its associated bacterial community—its microbiome —is known to approach the complexity of the diverse microbiome in the human gut.

Now, scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) have shown that different species of Hexadella sponges each have a highly specific and stable microbiome, not only in terms of the most abundant members of the associated microbial community, but the rare members as well. They published their results recently in the International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME) Journal.

"When we looked at what microbial community occurred in a species of sponge, we always found the same community, no matter where geographically and at which depth the sponge [lived]," says lead author Julie Reveillaud, a postdoctoral associate in the MBL's Bay Paul Center.

Reveillaud's team was interested in whether closely related sponge species display a higher degree of similarity in the composition of their microbiomes than do more distantly related sponge species. They found a weak correlation between the sponges' relatedness and their microbiomes, indicating Hexadella species did not inherit their entire microbiomes from their parents (vertical transmission), but also acquired microbes horizontally from the environment.

What's interesting, Reveillaud says, is while both horizontal and vertical transmission of microbes are occuring, the microbiomes were found to be highly specific to their sponge host species. That indicates that the microbes acquired horizontally are not just randomly selected from the environment and maintained. "There is a mechanism by which the sponge and the microbiome are specifically selecting each other," Reveillaud says.

Using "ultra-deep" DNA sequencing technology to obtain very fine-grained pictures of the microbiomes' compositions, the team compared seven sponge species from the genus Hexadella whose habitats range from the Mediterranean Sea to the Greenland Sea, and who live at depths ranging from 15 to 1,000 meters. It was exciting to discover the high degree to which the microbiomes are specific to their hosts across such a wide geographic distribution, Reveillaud says.

Several other scientists in the Bay Paul Center collaborated on the study, including Loïs Maignien, A. Murat Eren, Julie Huber, and Mitchell Sogin.



INFORMATION:

Citation:

Reveillaud J, Maignien L, Eren AM, Huber JA, Apprill A, Sogin ML and Vanreusel A (2014) Host-specificity among abundant and rare taxa in the sponge microbiome. ISME Journal, advance online publication January 9; doi: 10.1038/ismej.2013.227.

The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is dedicated to scientific discovery and improving the human condition through research and education in biology, biomedicine, and environmental science. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution and an affiliate of the University of Chicago.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

British Muslims with diabetes need more healthcare support during Ramadan

2014-01-21
British Muslims with diabetes need more healthcare support during Ramadan British Muslims with diabetes may avoid attending GP surgeries to discuss fasting during the holy month of Ramadan with potentially serious consequences for their future health, ...

Cocaine users enjoy social interactions less

2014-01-21
Cocaine users enjoy social interactions less In Europe as well as worldwide, cocaine is the second most frequently used drug after cannabis. Chronic cocaine users display worse memory performance, concentration difficulties, and attentional deficits but also ...

Depression higher than previously reported in people with severe rheumatoid arthritis

2014-01-21
Depression higher than previously reported in people with severe rheumatoid arthritis Levels of depression and anxiety in people with severe rheumatoid arthritis are higher than previously reported, according to new research Levels of depression ...

Researchers discover an epigenetic lesion in the hippocampus of Alzheimer's

2014-01-21
Researchers discover an epigenetic lesion in the hippocampus of Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease can reach epidemic range in the coming decades, by the increasing average age of society. There are two key issues for Alzheimer's disease: ...

Large-scale HPV self-testing proves effective for screening cervical cancer

2014-01-21
Large-scale HPV self-testing proves effective for screening cervical cancer Self-testing for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) – the virus that causes cervical cancer – is as effective at detecting cancer as a conventional smear test (cytology screening) ...

The scientific explanation of why beer overflows

2014-01-21
The scientific explanation of why beer overflows This news release is available in Spanish. Scientists at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid reveal the physical phenomenon that explains beer's rapid transformation from a liquid to a foamy state as the result of an impact. ...

Infectious diseases experts issue guidance on health-care personnel attire

2014-01-21
Infectious diseases experts issue guidance on health-care personnel attire Recommendations to help prevent health-care-associated infections transmitted through clothing New guidance from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) ...

Radiation before surgery more than doubles mesothelioma survival: UHN study

2014-01-21
Radiation before surgery more than doubles mesothelioma survival: UHN study (TORONTO, Canada – January 20, 2014) – Results of clinical research that treated mesothelioma with radiation before surgery show the three-year survival rate more than doubled for ...

Gay-straight alliances in schools reduce suicide risk for all students

2014-01-21
Gay-straight alliances in schools reduce suicide risk for all students Canadian schools with explicit anti-homophobia interventions such as gay-straight alliances (GSAs) may reduce the odds of suicidal thoughts and attempts among both sexual minority ...

Childhood obesity can only be tackled with broad public health interventions

2014-01-21
Childhood obesity can only be tackled with broad public health interventions Public health researchers from the University of Manchester have found single dietary interventions are not effective at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among overweight ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

AI and the Future of Cancer Research and Cancer Care to headline October 24 gathering of global oncology leaders at the National Press Club: NFCR Global Summit to feature top scientists, entrepreneurs

FDA clears UCLA heart tissue regeneration drug AD-NP1 for clinical trials

Exploring the therapeutic potential of cannabidiol for Alzheimer's

We need a solar sail probe to detect space tornadoes earlier, more accurately, U-M researchers say

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML): Disease risk but not remission status determines transplant outcomes – new ASAP long-term results

Sperm microRNAs: Key regulators of the paternal transmission of exercise capacity

Seeing double: Clever images open doors for brain research

Inhaler-related greenhouse gas emissions in the US

UCLA Health study finds inhalers for asthma and COPD drive significant greenhouse gas emissions

A surgical handover system for patient physiology and safety

Cardiovascular health changes in young adults and risk of later-life cardiovascular disease

Nurse workload and missed nursing care in neonatal intensive care units

How to solve the remote work stalemate – dissertation offers tools for successful hybrid work

Chip-based phonon splitter brings hybrid quantum networks closer to reality

Texas Children’s researchers create groundbreaking tool to improve accuracy of genetic testing

Milken Institute, Ann Theodore Foundation announce more than $2.5 million in new funding for sarcoidosis research and launch new call for proposals

Boston University professor to receive 2025 Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award

Pusan National University researchers reveal how forest soil properties influence arsenic mobility and toxicity in soil organisms

Korea University researchers find sweet taste cells resist nerve damage through c-Kit protein

HealthFORCE, AAPA, and West Health release “Aging Well with AI” – first in a two part series on AI and the healthcare workforce

The real reasons Endurance sank — study finds Shackleton knew of ship’s shortcomings

Marine heatwaves have hidden impacts on ocean food webs and carbon cycling

Order from disordered proteins

Rocket test proves bacteria survive space launch and re-entry unharmed

New wheat diversity discovery could provide an urgently-needed solution to global food security

Could reducing inflammation help combat fatigue in people with early-stage breast cancer?

Traumatic brain injuries in older adults linked to increased risk of dementia

New intervention helps pediatricians promote early peanut introduction to prevent peanut allergy

New survey: Most Americans believe plasma donation saves lives, yet few have donated

New tools boost pediatricians’ adherence to peanut allergy guidelines 15-fold

[Press-News.org] Different sponge species have highly specific, stable microbiomes, MBL team reports