Torres Joshua P, Tianero Maria Diarey, Robes Jose Miguel D, Kwan Jason C, Biggs Jason S, Concepcion Gisela P, Olivera Baldomero M, Haygood Margo G, Schmidt Eric W
Department of Medicinal Chemistry, L.S. Skaggs Pharmacy Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines-Diliman, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2017 Nov 16;83(23). doi: 10.1128/AEM.01418-17. Print 2017 Dec 1.
Cone snails are biomedically important sources of peptide drugs, but it is not known whether snail-associated bacteria affect venom chemistry. To begin to answer this question, we performed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of eight cone snail species, comparing their microbiomes with each other and with those from a variety of other marine invertebrates. We show that the cone snail microbiome is distinct from those in other marine invertebrates and conserved in specimens from around the world, including the Philippines, Guam, California, and Florida. We found that all venom ducts examined contain diverse 16S rRNA gene sequences bearing closest similarity to bacteria. These sequences represent specific symbionts that live in the lumen of the venom duct, where bioactive venom peptides are synthesized. In animals, symbiotic bacteria contribute critically to metabolism. Cone snails are renowned for the production of venoms that are used as medicines and as probes for biological study. In principle, symbiotic bacterial metabolism could either degrade or synthesize active venom components, and previous publications show that bacteria do indeed contribute small molecules to some venoms. Therefore, understanding symbiosis in cone snails will contribute to further drug discovery efforts. Here, we describe an unexpected, specific symbiosis between bacteria and cone snails from around the world.
芋螺是肽类药物重要的生物医学来源,但尚不清楚与芋螺相关的细菌是否会影响其毒液化学成分。为了初步回答这个问题,我们对8种芋螺进行了16S rRNA基因扩增子测序,将它们的微生物群落相互比较,并与其他各种海洋无脊椎动物的微生物群落进行比较。我们发现,芋螺的微生物群落与其他海洋无脊椎动物的不同,并且在来自世界各地的标本中都是保守的,包括菲律宾、关岛、加利福尼亚和佛罗里达。我们发现,所有检测的毒管都含有与细菌相似度最高的多样的16S rRNA基因序列。这些序列代表了生活在毒管腔中的特定共生体,生物活性毒液肽就是在毒管腔中合成的。在动物中,共生细菌对新陈代谢起着关键作用。芋螺以产生用作药物和生物学研究探针的毒液而闻名。原则上,共生细菌的新陈代谢既可能降解也可能合成活性毒液成分,并且以前的出版物表明细菌确实会为一些毒液贡献小分子。因此,了解芋螺中的共生关系将有助于进一步的药物发现工作。在这里,我们描述了世界各地细菌与芋螺之间一种意想不到的特定共生关系。