Full text
| |
| Author(s): |
Gabriel Nascimento Silva
Total Authors: 1
|
| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Biociências (IBIOC/SB) |
| Defense date: | 2022-07-01 |
| Examining board members: |
Márcio Reis Custódio;
Gisele Lôbo Hajdu;
Leticia Veras Costa Lotufo;
Renata Guimarães Moreira Whitton
|
| Advisor: | Márcio Reis Custódio |
| Abstract | |
Throughout their evolutionary histories, the representatives of the phylum Porifera have established complex associations with various microorganisms. This microbiota is directly related to the physiology of these animals and has been the focus of several studies in recent decades. Historically, most of these investigations have focused on the fraction of the microbiome composed of bacteria, archaea, and fungi. However, our understanding of the nature of the complex associations between protists and sponges is still limited and needs further investigation. These microorganisms possess a great diversity of forms and metabolisms and occupy various ecological niches. Seeking to understand how they relate to sponges, we conducted a detailed review of the literature on the interactions between protists and Porifera, observing the state of knowledge and the main challenges in the area. We identified that a group of protists known as Labyrinthulomycetes constitutes one of the main obstacles for the establishment of cell cultures of these marine invertebrates. We investigated the nature of the association between Labyrinthulomycetes and two tropical marine sponges: Hymeniacidon heliophila and Haliclona melana. Using a culture-dependent approach, we characterized the general morphology of the isolates and inferred their identification. Also, we performed degradation tests of different substrates and the identification of their fatty acids in order to obtain a metabolic profile and evaluate their biotechnological potential. In this work we discuss the role of protists as an important component of the sponge microeukaryome as well as report the first systematic isolations of Labyrinthulomycetes from primary cultures of marine sponge cells. We obtained three isolates with distinct morphological and biochemical characteristics belonging to the families Thraustochytrida and Labyrinthulida. We observed that one of the isolates (HAL1) has the greatest potential for future biotechnological exploitation, but the others (HYM1 and HAL2) still need further research. In view of the evidence, we conclude that these protists are associated with these marine sponges in a commensal or mutualistic manner. The work done so far constitutes an important step in the understanding of the complex and little studied association of protists and Porifera. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 19/04707-8 - Interactions between unicellular eukaryotes and Porifera: physiological function and biotechnological applications of associated thraustochytrids |
| Grantee: | Gabriel Nascimento Silva |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Master |