Marine Sponge Biotechnology

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 March 2022) | Viewed by 26568

Special Issue Editors

School of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo 69978, Israel
Interests: phylum Porifera (sponges) and its symbiosis especially with associated microorganisms
Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Chemistry and Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
Interests: chromatography; mass spectrometry; high-performance liquid chromatography; natural product chemistry; organic chemistry; NMR; structure elucidation; natural product; drug discovery
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, New Zealanddisabled, Auckland, New Zealand
Interests: marine sponge systematist; marine biologist; marine natural products
Department of Drug Discovery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
Interests: marine natural products chemistry; infectious diseases; cancer; spectroscopy; drug discovery and development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sponges, the oldest animals on Earth, have been found to be a trove for biotechnological prospecting. From the early discoveries of novel marine drugs with pharmaceutical applications, sponges’ immense arsenal of secondary metabolites have been proven to have many potential applications, including as cosmeceuticals, industrial enzymes, agrochemicals, and nutraceuticals. Sponge-derived skeletons and compounds have been used for regenerative medicine and suggested as drug carriers. Biomimetic and bioinspired processes have been shown to have many beneficial uses. The utilization of sponges for bioremediation, or as bioindicators, has been demonstrated. Methods of acquiring novel sponge-derived compounds and obtaining large amounts of sought-after molecules demand the employment of many techniques. These include aquaculture, microbial culture, cell culture, gene mining, natural product chemistry, and other biotechnological approaches, taking advantage of the rapid improvements in various omics methods and new instrumentation. The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight and promote research on the various aspects of Sponge Biotechnology, and suggest avenues through which to achieve sustainable blue biotechnology.

Prof. Dr. Micha Ilan
Prof. Dr. Shmuel Carmeli
Dr. Michelle Kelly
Prof. Dr. Mark T. Hamann
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Aquaculture
  • Biomimetics
  • Cosmeceuticals
  • Data mining
  • Heterologous expression
  • Natural products
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Regenerative medicine
  • Tissue engineering

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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30 pages, 10822 KiB  
Article
Cytotoxic Alkylynols of the Sponge Cribrochalina vasculum: Structure, Synthetic Analogs and SAR Studies
by Dimitry Kovalerchik, Ana Zovko, Petra Hååg, Adam Sierakowiak, Kristina Viktorsson, Rolf Lewensohn, Micha Ilan and Shmuel Carmeli
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(4), 265; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/md20040265 - 13 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2151
Abstract
A series of twenty-three linear and branched chain mono acetylene lipids were isolated from the Caribbean Sea sponge Cribrochalina vasculum. Seventeen of the compounds, 1–17, are new, while six, 18–23, were previously characterized from the same sponge. Some of the [...] Read more.
A series of twenty-three linear and branched chain mono acetylene lipids were isolated from the Caribbean Sea sponge Cribrochalina vasculum. Seventeen of the compounds, 1–17, are new, while six, 18–23, were previously characterized from the same sponge. Some of the new acetylene-3-hydroxy alkanes 1, 6, 7, 8, 10 were tested for selective cytotoxicity in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cells over WI-38 normal diploid lung fibroblasts. Compound 7, presented clear tumor selective activity while, 1 and 8, showed selectivity at lower doses and 6 and 10, were not active towards NSCLC cells at all. The earlier reported selective cytotoxicity of some acetylene-3-hydroxy alkanes (scal-18 and 23), in NSCLC cells and/or other tumor cell types were also confirmed for 19, 20 and 22. To further study the structure activity relationships (SAR) of this group of compounds, we synthesized several derivatives of acetylene-3-hydroxy alkanes, rac-18, scal-S-18, R-18, rac-27, rac-32, R-32, S-32, rac-33, rac-41, rac-42, rac-43, rac-45, rac-48 and rac-49, along with other 3-substituted derivatives, rac-35, rac-36, rac-37, rac-38, rac-39 and rac-40, and assessed their cytotoxic activity against NSCLC cells and diploid fibroblasts. SAR studies revealed that the alcohol moiety at position 3 and its absolute R configuration both were essential for the tumor cell line selective activity while for its cytotoxic magnitude the alkyl chain length and branching were of less significance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Sponge Biotechnology)
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20 pages, 1675 KiB  
Article
Good Practices in Sponge Natural Product Studies: Revising Vouchers with Isomalabaricane Triterpenes
by Paco Cárdenas, Jayani Gamage, Chamari M. Hettiarachchi and Sunithi Gunasekera
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(3), 190; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/md20030190 - 04 Mar 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3689
Abstract
Species misidentification in the field of natural products is an acknowledged problem. These errors are especially widespread in sponge studies, albeit rarely assessed and documented. As a case study, we aim to revisit reports of isomalabaricane triterpenes, isolated from four demosponge genera: Jaspis [...] Read more.
Species misidentification in the field of natural products is an acknowledged problem. These errors are especially widespread in sponge studies, albeit rarely assessed and documented. As a case study, we aim to revisit reports of isomalabaricane triterpenes, isolated from four demosponge genera: Jaspis, Geodia, Stelletta and Rhabdastrella. From a total of 44 articles (1981–2022), 27 unique vouchers were listed, 21 of which were accessed and re-examined here: 11 (52.4%) of these were misidentified. Overall, 65.9% of the studies published an incorrect species name: previously identified Jaspis and Stelletta species were all in fact Rhabdastrella globostellata. We conclude that isomalabaricane triterpenes were isolated from only two Rhabdastrella species and possibly one Geodia species. In addition to shedding a new light on the distribution of isomalabaricane triterpenes, this study is an opportunity to highlight the crucial importance of vouchers in natural product studies. Doing so, we discuss the impact of species misidentification and poor accessibility of vouchers in the field of sponge natural products. We advocate for stricter voucher guidelines in natural product journals and propose a common protocol of good practice, in the hope of reducing misidentifications in sponge studies, ensure reproducibility of studies, and facilitate follow-up work on the original material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Sponge Biotechnology)
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20 pages, 5174 KiB  
Article
Actinoporin-like Proteins Are Widely Distributed in the Phylum Porifera
by Kenneth Sandoval and Grace P. McCormack
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(1), 74; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/md20010074 - 15 Jan 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2852
Abstract
Actinoporins are proteinaceous toxins known for their ability to bind to and create pores in cellular membranes. This quality has generated interest in their potential use as new tools, such as therapeutic immunotoxins. Isolated historically from sea anemones, genes encoding for similar actinoporin-like [...] Read more.
Actinoporins are proteinaceous toxins known for their ability to bind to and create pores in cellular membranes. This quality has generated interest in their potential use as new tools, such as therapeutic immunotoxins. Isolated historically from sea anemones, genes encoding for similar actinoporin-like proteins have since been found in a small number of other animal phyla. Sequencing and de novo assembly of Irish Haliclona transcriptomes indicated that sponges also possess similar genes. An exhaustive analysis of publicly available sequencing data from other sponges showed that this is a potentially widespread feature of the Porifera. While many sponge proteins possess a sequence similarity of 27.70–59.06% to actinoporins, they show consistency in predicted structure. One gene copy from H. indistincta has significant sequence similarity to sea anemone actinoporins and possesses conserved residues associated with the fundamental roles of sphingomyelin recognition, membrane attachment, oligomerization, and pore formation, indicating that it may be an actinoporin. Phylogenetic analyses indicate frequent gene duplication, no distinct clade for sponge-derived proteins, and a stronger signal towards actinoporins than similar proteins from other phyla. Overall, this study provides evidence that a diverse array of Porifera represents a novel source of actinoporin-like proteins which may have biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Sponge Biotechnology)
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21 pages, 1844 KiB  
Article
A Multi-Species Investigation of Sponges’ Filtering Activity towards Marine Microalgae
by Despoina Varamogianni-Mamatsi, Thekla I. Anastasiou, Emmanouela Vernadou, Nikos Papandroulakis, Nicolas Kalogerakis, Thanos Dailianis and Manolis Mandalakis
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(1), 24; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/md20010024 - 24 Dec 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3485
Abstract
Chronic discharge of surplus organic matter is a typical side effect of fish aquaculture, occasionally leading to coastal eutrophication and excessive phytoplankton growth. Owing to their innate filter-feeding capacity, marine sponges could mitigate environmental impact under integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) scenarios. Herein, we [...] Read more.
Chronic discharge of surplus organic matter is a typical side effect of fish aquaculture, occasionally leading to coastal eutrophication and excessive phytoplankton growth. Owing to their innate filter-feeding capacity, marine sponges could mitigate environmental impact under integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) scenarios. Herein, we investigated the clearance capacity of four ubiquitous Mediterranean sponges (Agelas oroides, Axinella cannabina, Chondrosia reniformis and Sarcotragus foetidus) against three microalgal substrates with different size/motility characteristics: the nanophytoplankton Nannochloropsis sp. (~3.2 μm, nonmotile) and Isochrysis sp. (~3.8 μm, motile), as well as the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum (~21.7 μm, nonmotile). In vitro cleaning experiments were conducted using sponge explants in 1 L of natural seawater and applying different microalgal cell concentrations under light/dark conditions. The investigated sponges exhibited a wide range of retention efficiencies for the different phytoplankton cells, with the lowest average values found for A. cannabina (37%) and the highest for A. oroides (70%). The latter could filter up to 14.1 mL seawater per hour and gram of sponge wet weight, by retaining 100% of Isochrysis at a density of 105 cells mL−1, under darkness. Our results highlight differences in filtering capacity among sponge species and preferences for microalgal substrates with distinct size and motility traits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Sponge Biotechnology)
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14 pages, 2941 KiB  
Article
On the Path to Thermo-Stable Collagen: Culturing the Versatile Sponge Chondrosia reniformis
by Boaz Orel, Marco Giovine and Micha Ilan
Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(12), 669; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/md19120669 - 26 Nov 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2053
Abstract
The collagen proteins family is sought-after in the pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food industries for various biotechnological applications. The most abundant sources of collagen are pigs and cows, but due to religious restrictions and possible disease transmission, they became less attractive. An alternative source [...] Read more.
The collagen proteins family is sought-after in the pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food industries for various biotechnological applications. The most abundant sources of collagen are pigs and cows, but due to religious restrictions and possible disease transmission, they became less attractive. An alternative source can be found in marine invertebrates, specifically in sponges. Alas, two problems arise: (1). Growing sponges is complicated. (2). Sponge collagen has low heat tolerance, which can impose a problem for human biotechnological usage. To fill these gaps, we studied the collagen-abundant sponge Chondrosia reniformis. Two culture experiments were conducted: (1). A sea-based system examined the difference in growth rates of C. reniformis from different habitats, growing under natural seasonal conditions; (2). A land-based controlled system, which assessed the growth-rate of C. reniformis at different temperatures. The results reveal that C. reniformis from shallow habitats are growing larger and faster than individuals from colder, deeper habitats, and that the optimal temperature for C. reniformis growth is 25 °C. The results demonstrate that C. reniformis is highly fit for culture and can produce thermally stable collagen. Further research is needed to determine the best conditions for C. reniformis culture for collagen extract and other exciting materials for bioprospecting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Sponge Biotechnology)
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15 pages, 2666 KiB  
Article
3-D Culture of Marine Sponge Cells for Production of Bioactive Compounds
by Elizabeth Urban-Gedamke, Megan Conkling, Peter J. McCarthy, Paul S. Wills and Shirley A. Pomponi
Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(10), 569; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/md19100569 - 14 Oct 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3898
Abstract
Production of sponge-derived bioactive compounds in vitro has been proposed as an alternative to wild harvest, aquaculture, and chemical synthesis to meet the demands of clinical drug development and manufacture. Until recently, this was not possible because there were no marine invertebrate cell [...] Read more.
Production of sponge-derived bioactive compounds in vitro has been proposed as an alternative to wild harvest, aquaculture, and chemical synthesis to meet the demands of clinical drug development and manufacture. Until recently, this was not possible because there were no marine invertebrate cell lines. Recent breakthroughs in the development of sponge cell lines and rapid cell division in improved nutrient media now make this approach a viable option. We hypothesized that three-dimensional (3-D) cell cultures would better represent how sponges function in nature, including the production of bioactive compounds. We successfully cultured sponge cells in 3-D matrices using FibraCel® disks, thin hydrogel layers, and gel microdroplets (GMDs). For in vitro production of bioactive compounds, the use of GMDs is recommended. Nutrients and sponge products rapidly diffuse into and out of the 3-D matrix, the GMDs may be scaled up in spinner flasks, and cells and/or secreted products can be easily recovered. Research on scale-up and production is in progress in our laboratory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Sponge Biotechnology)
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14 pages, 1247 KiB  
Article
Cyclopeptide Derivatives from the Sponge-Derived Fungus Acremonium persicinum F10
by Yingxin Li and Zhiyong Li
Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(10), 537; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/md19100537 - 24 Sep 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1991
Abstract
Cyclopeptides usually play a pivotal role, either in the viability or virulence of fungi. Two types of cyclopeptides, six new hydroxamate siderophore cyclohexapeptides (16), including acremonpeptides E and F, and their complexes with aluminum and ferric ions; one new [...] Read more.
Cyclopeptides usually play a pivotal role, either in the viability or virulence of fungi. Two types of cyclopeptides, six new hydroxamate siderophore cyclohexapeptides (16), including acremonpeptides E and F, and their complexes with aluminum and ferric ions; one new cyclic pentapeptolide, aselacin D (9); together with a known compound, aselacin C (10), were isolated and characterized from the sponge-derived fungus Acremonium persicinum F10. In addition, two new siderophore analogues chelating gallium ions (Ga3+), Ga (III)-acremonpeptide E (7) and Ga (III)-acremonpeptide F (8), using isolated acremonpeptides E and F, were prepared. The planar structures of 110 were elucidated by HRESIMS and (1D and 2D) NMR. The absolute configurations of amino acids were determined by means of the advanced Marfey’s method and X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer was performed to disclose the elements of compound 1, indicating the existence of aluminum (Al). Al (III)-acremonpeptides E (1), Ga (III)-acremonpeptides E (5), Al (III)-acremonpeptide F (7), and Ga (III)-acremonpeptide F (8) displayed high in vitro anti-fungal activities, which are comparable to amphotericin B, against Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Sponge Biotechnology)
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Review

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25 pages, 14025 KiB  
Review
A Soft Spot for Chemistry–Current Taxonomic and Evolutionary Implications of Sponge Secondary Metabolite Distribution
by Adrian Galitz, Yoichi Nakao, Peter J. Schupp, Gert Wörheide and Dirk Erpenbeck
Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(8), 448; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/md19080448 - 04 Aug 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4300
Abstract
Marine sponges are the most prolific marine sources for discovery of novel bioactive compounds. Sponge secondary metabolites are sought-after for their potential in pharmaceutical applications, and in the past, they were also used as taxonomic markers alongside the difficult and homoplasy-prone sponge morphology [...] Read more.
Marine sponges are the most prolific marine sources for discovery of novel bioactive compounds. Sponge secondary metabolites are sought-after for their potential in pharmaceutical applications, and in the past, they were also used as taxonomic markers alongside the difficult and homoplasy-prone sponge morphology for species delineation (chemotaxonomy). The understanding of phylogenetic distribution and distinctiveness of metabolites to sponge lineages is pivotal to reveal pathways and evolution of compound production in sponges. This benefits the discovery rate and yield of bioprospecting for novel marine natural products by identifying lineages with high potential of being new sources of valuable sponge compounds. In this review, we summarize the current biochemical data on sponges and compare the metabolite distribution against a sponge phylogeny. We assess compound specificity to lineages, potential convergences, and suitability as diagnostic phylogenetic markers. Our study finds compound distribution corroborating current (molecular) phylogenetic hypotheses, which include yet unaccepted polyphyly of several demosponge orders and families. Likewise, several compounds and compound groups display a high degree of lineage specificity, which suggests homologous biosynthetic pathways among their taxa, which identifies yet unstudied species of this lineage as promising bioprospecting targets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Sponge Biotechnology)
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