Porifera-associated microorganisms: physiological roles and biotechnological potential

• Grant number: 24/14507-4
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: January 01, 2026
• End date: December 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Compared Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Márcio Reis Custódio
• Grantee: Márcio Reis Custódio
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Claudio Augusto Oller do Nascimento ; Cristiane Cassiolato Pires Hardoim ; Enrique Eduardo Rozas Sanchez ; Gisele Lôbo Hajdu

Abstract

Sponges (phylum Porifera) are considered the oldest existing metazoans, with origins about 700 million years ago. They are sessile and filter-feeding, inhabiting practically all marine or freshwater aquatic environments, from the tropics to the poles and from the abyssal zone to intertidal areas. Without developed organs or tissues like other metazoans, all physiological processes are based on specialized cells. They are known to harbor an important associated microbiota, which may represent more than 40% of the animal's biomass, including a great diversity of unicellular algae, fungi, protists, archaea and bacteria. The relationships developed in these associations are strict, with particular strains found preferentially in sponges and maintained in capsules or in specialized cells. Besides these, they also exhibit little known associations, as in the case of the Labyrinthulomycetes, organisms of uncertain affinities. This microbiota is used by the sponges in several processes, among which metabolizing absorbed material into nutrients or detoxifying substances present in the water. The study of these relationships is fundamental for understanding basic processes in Porifera physiology; however the relationships between guests and hosts are still poorly understood. Besides its importance for basic research, such a study also has important applied aspects. Sponges are well known as rich sources of metabolic processes or compounds of interest, having accounted for about one third of all new molecules obtained from marine sources since the 1960's. This proposal aims to investigate the relationships between this associated microbiota and their hosts, also seeking to isolate strains of biotechnological interest in sponges. Considering also its ample applicability, the strains obtained will be made available to the academic community in order that new biomolecules or processes might be investigated. (AU)