video: Researchers uncover that marine sponges host bacteria that produce natural flame retardant-like compounds toxic to humans. view more
Credit: Scripps Oceanography/UC San Diego
A Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego-led research team discovered for the first time that a common marine sponge hosts bacteria that specialize in the production of toxic compounds nearly identical to man-made fire retardants.
The new findings put the research team one step closer to unraveling the mystery of this powerful group of chemical compounds, known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), in the marine environment. PBDEs are a subgroup of brominated flame retardants that are combined into foam, textiles, and electronics to raise the temperature at which the products will burn. These man-made industrial chemicals are powerful endocrine disruptors that mimic the activity of the human body's most active thyroid hormone.
Vinayak Agarwal, a postdoctoral researcher at Scripps, picked up a cold case first started nearly 50 years ago by Scripps chemist John Faulkner, an early pioneer in the study of natural products from the sea, to continue the investigation into the source of these toxic compounds that are found in large quantities in the world's oceans.
"For the first time we were able to conclusively show that genes and enzymes produced in bacteria from sponges are responsible for the production of these compounds toxic to humans," said Agarwal, co-first author of the paper along with Scripps PhD student Jessica Blanton.
The study was part of the National Science Foundation (NSF)/ National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)-funded Center for Oceans and Human Health research being conducted at Scripps.
In 2014, Agarwal and colleagues at Scripps Oceanography were the first to discover that unrelated free-living marine bacteria produce these fire retardant compounds naturally, albeit in very small quantities.
In this new study, the researchers employed two modern-day techniques--genome "mining" pioneered by Scripps marine chemist Brad Moore and an environmental DNA sequencing approach pioneered by Scripps biologist Eric Allen--to take the investigation a step further and identify the specific genes and enzymes involved in the overproduction of the toxic molecules in sponges.
Marine sponges obtain food and oxygen by filtering seawater through the pores and channels in their bodies. This constant water flow means that these immobile animals host many bacteria, viruses, and fungi in their complex microbiomes.
The research team collected 18 sponge samples for the study during two research expeditions to Guam. They then isolated the various components of this complex mixture of organisms from the sponge's tissues to identify the specific genes and enzymes that code for the production of PBDEs.
"For many years scientists were finding clues that suggested nature was making these compounds," said Bradley Moore, a professor at the Scripps Center of Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at UC San Diego, and a senior author of the study. "Now that we understand how they are produced in the marine environment, we are exploring why they exist, and the human health concerns associated with them."
Moore's genome "mining" approach along with Allen's metagenomic sequencing gives scientists a way to connect the natural chemicals produced by organisms back to the enzymes that construct them.
The study, which appears on the cover of the May issue of the journal Nature Chemical Biology, was a unique collaboration among chemists and biologists at UC San Diego and elsewhere.
"This study is a powerful combination of chemical, biological and environmental research," said Henrietta Edmonds of the NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences, which supported the research. "It has the potential to help us understand the production, fate and health consequences of natural and pollutant compounds in the marine environment."
"We care about naturally produced PBDEs because they end up in the food chain," said Frederick Tyson, Ph.D., of the NIEHS, which helped to fund the research. "Preliminary data from this research team suggest that some naturally occurring PDBEs may be even more toxic than those that are man-made, so we need to develop a better understanding of these compounds."
These ocean-dwelling microbes have been found in habitats as diverse as sea grasses, corals and whales.
The next step of the investigation for the researchers is to mine the genes and enzymes in other marine hosts to find out what other organisms are making similar toxic compounds and why.
###
Co-authors from Scripps Oceanography include Sheila Podell, Michelle Schorn, Julia Busch, and Paul Jensen. Researchers Arnaud Taton and James Golden from UC San Diego's Division of Biological Sciences, Jason Biggs from University of Guam's Marine Laboratory, Zhenjian Lin and Eric Schmidt from the University of Utah, and Valerie Paul from the Smithsonian Marine Station also contributed to the study.
Funding for the research was provided through: National Science Foundation grants OCE-1313747, DGE-1144086, IOS-1120113, MCB-1149552; National Institutes of Health grants P01-ES021921, K99-ES026620, R01-GM107557, R01-CA172310, S10-OD010640; the U.S. Department of Energy grant DE-EE0003373; and a Helen Hay Whitney Foundation postdoctoral fellowship.
Scripps Communications Office
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Web: http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu
Phone: 858-534-3624
Email: scrippsnews@ucsd.edu
Follow us on Twitter: @Scripps_Ocean & @Explorations
Facebook: http://facebook.com/scrippsocean
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/scrippsoceanography
Instagram: Scripps_Ocean
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/scrippsocean
About Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, is one of the oldest, largest, and most important centers for global science research and education in the world. Now in its second century of discovery, the scientific scope of the institution has grown to include biological, physical, chemical, geological, geophysical, and atmospheric studies of the earth as a system. Hundreds of research programs covering a wide range of scientific areas are under way today on every continent and in every ocean. The institution has a staff of more than 1,400 and annual expenditures of approximately $195 million from federal, state, and private sources. Scripps operates oceanographic research vessels recognized worldwide for their outstanding capabilities. Equipped with innovative instruments for ocean exploration, these ships constitute mobile laboratories and observatories that serve students and researchers from institutions throughout the world. Birch Aquarium at Scripps serves as the interpretive center of the institution and showcases Scripps research and a diverse array of marine life through exhibits and programming for more than 430,000 visitors each year. Learn more at scripps.ucsd.edu and follow us at: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.
About UC San Diego
At the University of California San Diego, we constantly push boundaries and challenge expectations. Established in 1960, UC San Diego has been shaped by exceptional scholars who aren't afraid to take risks and redefine conventional wisdom. Today, as one of the top 15 research universities in the world, we are driving innovation and change to advance society, propel economic growth, and make our world a better place. Learn more at http://www.ucsd.edu.
Journal
Nature Chemical Biology