Project description:Marine sponges represent one of the few eukaryotic groups that ubiquitously harbor symbiotic members of the Thaumarchaeota, which are important chemoautotrophic ammonia-oxidizers in many environments. However in most studies, direct demonstration of ammonia-oxidation by these archaea within sponges is lacking, and little is known about sponge-specific adaptations of archaeal ammonia oxidizers (AOA). In this study, we characterized the thaumarchaeal symbiont of the marine sponge Ianthella basta using metaproteogenomics, fluorescence in situ hybridization, qPCR and direct isotope-based functional assays. We demonstrate that the I. basta symbiont is not closely related to other genomically sequenced sponge AOA and is a member of a new genus. “Candidatus Nitrosospongia bastadiensis” is an abundant symbiont that is solely responsible for nitrite formation from ammonia in I. basta that surprisingly does not harbor nitrite-oxidizing microbes. Consistently, Ca N. bastadiensis encodes and expresses the genetic repertoire required for chemolithoautotrophic ammonia oxidation. Furthermore, we show that this AOA is equipped with an expanded set of extracellular subtilisin-like proteases, a metalloprotease unique among archaea, as well as a putative branched-chain amino acid ABC transporter. This repertoire is strongly indicative of a mixotrophic lifestyle and is (with slight variations) also found in other sponge-associated, but not in free-living AOA. We predict that this feature as well as an expanded and unique set of secreted serpins (protease inhibitors), a unique array of eukaryotic-like proteins, and a DNA-phosporothioation system likely involved in defense against foreign DNA, represent important adaptations of AOA to life within these ancient filter-feeding animals.
Project description:Nereida ignava strain 2SM4(T) (= CECT 5292(T) = DSM 16309(T) = CIP 108404(T) = CCUG 49433(T)) is a marine bacterium belonging to the Roseobacter group of the family Rhodobacteraceae within the class Alphaproteobacteria. The strain was isolated from sea water surrounding cultivated oysters 2-3 miles off the Mediterranean coast near Valencia (Spain) and was phylogenetically related to uncultured clones of gall symbiont bacteria of some species of Prionitis alga. Here we describe the genome sequence and annotation of this organism, the type strain of the single species of this genus. The genome comprised 2,888,349 bp, 2,872 protein-coding genes and 52 RNA genes. The annotation revealed the capacity to produce bacteriocins, vitamins and auxins. Besides, it contained sulfur cycling related genes.
