ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbial Symbioses
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1636046
This article is part of the Research TopicAdaptation and Evolution in Marine Extreme EnvironmentsView all articles
Survival strategies for the microbiome in a vent-dwelling glass sponge from the middle Okinawa Trough
Provisionally accepted
- 1Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, China
- 2University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- 3Institute of Oceanology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- 4Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Shenzhen, China
- 5HKUST-CAS Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
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The adaptive mechanisms of sponge microbiomes to harsh deep-sea environments, including hydrothermal vents and cold seeps, remain unclear. Here, we used metagenomics to investigate the microbiome of an undescribed vent-dwelling glass sponge from the middle Okinawa Trough, probably representing a novel species within the family Bolosominae. Eleven high-quality prokaryotic metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) were retrieved, none assignable to known species, with two representing new genera. Dominant MAGs included sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea, followed by methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. Global distribution analysis suggested that most MAGs were sponge-specific symbionts. Comparative genomics revealed functional redundancy among SOB and early-stage genome reduction in a unique MOB lineage. Additionally, a total of 410 viral contigs were identified, most exhibiting a lytic lifestyle and forming distinct clades from known viruses. Our work expands understanding of the diversity and novelty of deep-sea sponge-associated prokaryotes and viromes, and suggests their niche adaptation to hydrothermal fluid environments.
Keywords: deep sea, hydrothermal vent, Symbiosis, methanotrophy, glass sponge
Received: 27 May 2025; Accepted: 12 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Yang, Wei, Chen, Gong, Wang and Gao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ming Yang, Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, China
Zhao-Ming Gao, Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, China
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