Open AccessBrackish habitat dictates cultivable Actinobacterial diversity from marine sponges
Author(s) -
Gregory A. Ellis,
Chris S. Thomas,
Shaurya Chanana,
Navid Adnani,
Emily Szachowicz,
D. C. Braun,
Mary Kay Harper,
Thomas P. Wyche,
Tim S. Bugni
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0176968
Subject(s) - biology , marine invertebrates , actinobacteria , invertebrate , mangrove , habitat , ecology , marine habitats , sponge , metagenomics , phylum , brackish water , botany , 16s ribosomal rna , bacteria , biochemistry , genetics , salinity , gene
Bacterial communities associated with marine invertebrates such as sponges and ascidians have demonstrated potential as sources of bio-medically relevant small molecules. Metagenomic analysis has shown that many of these invertebrates harbor populations of Actinobacteria, many of which are cultivable. While some populations within invertebrates are transmitted vertically, others are obtained from the environment. We hypothesized that cultivable diversity from sponges living in brackish mangrove habitats have associations with Actinobacterial populations that differ from those found in clear tropical waters. In this study, we analyzed the cultivable Actinobacterial populations from sponges found in these two distinct habitats with the aim of understanding the secondary metabolite potential. Importantly, we wanted to broadly evaluate the potential differences among these groups to guide future Actinobacterial collection strategies for the purposes of drug discovery.