Coevolution of Marine Sponges and Symbiotic Cyanobacteria and Eubacteria

abstractdeb - 0209329 -博士。阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校的罗伯特·w·塞克尔获得了一笔研究基金，用于研究海海绵中的海海绵与生活在海绵中的微生物共生体[蓝藻（“蓝绿藻”）]和其他细菌之间的进化关系。菊科中的许多物种产生具有抗病毒和抗癌特性的化合物。虽然这些海洋海绵的多孔体可以容纳不同的微生物群落，但微生物共生体在生产药用活性化合物中的作用尚不清楚。塞克尔博士的一项初步研究表明，随着海绵进化并分裂成不同的物种，它们的微生物群落也在同步进化，并且对每种海绵都是特定的。本研究将对来自西太平洋、加勒比海和地中海地区的几个种及相关属进行研究。将海绵DNA序列与微生物DNA序列进行比较，以验证海绵及其共生体具有平行进化历史的假设。本研究还将通过比较硅藻土科成员和从这两个目中选择的海绵的DNA序列，来研究硅藻土科在石爪目或板爪目中的定位。此外，本研究将测试药物活性化合物的产生是否与特定共生体的存在或不存在有关。该研究项目将为海绵及其共生体的进化史提供一个罕见的、直接的比较，对海绵分类学、药物发现和宿主-共生体共同进化等领域具有直接的影响。该项目还将提供对海绵及其共生体的进化历史的更深入的了解，这将加速和丰富新的抗病毒和抗癌药物的研究。增加对这些宿主-微生物相互作用的认识将直接影响我们对所有类型的动物-微生物相互作用的理解，包括那些涉及人类的相互作用。

ABSTRACTDEB-0209329Dr. Robert W. Thacker of the University of Alabama at Birmingham has been awarded a grant to investigate evolutionary relationships between marine sponges in the family Dysideidae and the microbial symbionts [cyanobacteria ("blue-green algae")] and other bacteria] that live inside these sponges. Many species in the Family Dysideidae produce chemical compounds with anti-viral and anti-cancer properties. Although the porous bodies of these marine sponges can host diverse microbial communities, the role of microbial symbionts in the production of pharmaceutically active compounds remains unclear. A preliminary study by Dr. Thacker suggests that as sponges have evolved and split into distinct species, their microbial communities have evolved in tandem and are specific to each species of sponge. This study will examine several species of Dysidea and related genera from the Western Pacific, Caribbean, and Mediterranean regions. Sponge DNA sequences and microbial DNA sequences will be compared to test the hypothesis that sponges and their symbionts share parallel evolutionary histories. This study will also investigate the placement of the Family Dysideidae into either Order Dendroceratida or Order Dictyoceratida by comparing DNA sequences among members of the Dysideidae and selected sponges from the two orders. In addition, this study will test whether the production of pharmaceutically active compounds is associated with the presence or absence of specific symbionts. This research project will provide a rare, direct comparison of the evolutionary histories of sponges and their symbionts, with an immediate impact on the fields of sponge taxonomy, drug discovery, and host-symbiont coevolution. The project will also provide a greater understanding of the evolutionary histories of sponges and their symbionts, which will accelerate and enrich the search for new anti-viral and anti-cancer drugs. Increased knowledge of these host-microbe interactions will directly impact our understanding of all types of animal-microbe interactions, including those involving humans.