Microbial Observatories: Microbial Diversity of Procaryotes in Marine Sponges of the Class Demospongiae

马里兰大学生物技术研究所海洋生物技术中心（COMB）的R. Hill博士获得了一笔赠款，用于研究生活在海洋海绵中的复杂微生物群落。Drs。F. Chen （COMB）和印第安纳大学的C. Fuqua是这项研究的共同研究者。分子技术将用于识别和表征来自佛罗里达州基拉戈的三种海绵物种和来自切萨皮克湾的一种海绵物种中尚未描述的微生物。将评估这些细菌群落在同一海绵物种的不同个体和不同季节之间的稳定性。一般来说，目前只有不到1%的海绵相关微生物可以生长。将努力培养分子分析显示存在的新型微生物。将筛选可培养的细菌分离物，以寻找由海绵内紧密堆积的微生物细胞产生的信号化合物，并确定这些信号化合物在海绵细菌定植中的作用。该项目将促进对微生物多样性的了解，并可能导致发现和培养新的细菌物种。该项目对发现和生产新的海洋生物活性化合物，包括具有药用潜力的化合物具有重要意义。海绵是这些化合物的丰富来源，其中许多可能由共生细菌产生。为培养这些海绵共生体而开发的新方法可能适用于生产重要药物的共生体。对细菌信号化合物的理解的进展将有助于通过干扰工业和医疗应用中的信号通路来操纵细菌行为。该项目将通过培养三名研究生和为少数民族本科生提供两门海洋微生物学暑期课程来满足国家对科学家的需求。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. R. Hill of the Center of Marine Biotechnology (COMB), University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, to study the complex microbial communities that live in marine sponges. Drs. F. Chen (COMB) and C. Fuqua of Indiana University are co-investigators in this research. Molecular techniques will be used to identify and characterize as yet undescribed microbes in three sponge species from Key Largo, Florida and one from the Chesapeake Bay. The stability of these bacterial communities between different individuals of the same sponge species and at different seasons will be assessed. Typically, less than 1% of sponge-associated microbes can currently be grown. Efforts will be made to cultivate novel microbes shown to be present by the molecular analysis. Culturable bacterial isolates will be screened for the production of signaling compounds produced by the tightly-packed microbial cells within sponges, and the role of these signaling compounds in the bacterial colonization of sponges will be determined.The project will advance understanding of microbial diversity and is likely to result in discovery and cultivation of new bacterial species. The project has significance for discovery and production of new marine bioactive compounds, including those of pharmaceutical potential. Sponges are a prolific source of these compounds, many of which may be produced by symbiotic bacteria. The new methods that are developed for cultivating these sponge symbionts may be applicable to symbionts that produce important drugs. Advances in understanding of signaling compounds from bacteria will contribute to efforts towards manipulating bacterial behavior by interference with signaling pathways in industrial and medical applications. The project will address the national need for scientists by training three graduate students and by offering two summer courses in Marine Microbiology for minority undergraduate students.