| Abstract |
The bacterial community structures of two marine sponges, Cinachyrella sp. and Plakortis sp., collected from Chuuk in the
South Pacific in February 2012 were analyzed by PCR-DGGE (Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis) fingerprinting. After isolation of
the total genomic DNAs from the sponges, the V3 regions of the 16S rRNA genes were amplified and subjected to DGGE profiling. The two
species of sponges displayed different DGGE band patterns. The sequences derived from the DGGE bands revealed 85-100% similarities
to known bacterial species in the public database. The bacterial community of Cinachyrella sp. was composed of 6 classes:
Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Proteobacteria (Alpha-, Gamma-, Delta-). The bacterial community of Plakortis sp.
included 7 classes: Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Spirochaetes, and Proteobacteria (Alpha-, Gamma-, Delta-). Though
Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi and Proteobacteria were commonly found in both sponges, the predominant bacterial communities differed
between the two. Namely, the predominant bacterial groups in Cinachyrella sp. and Plakortis sp. were Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi,
respectively. The sponge-associated bacteria are sponge host-specific, as each of the tested sponges from the same geographical
location had different predominant bacterial diversity. |
