Furanoterpene Diversity and Variability in the Marine Sponge Spongia officinalis, from Untargeted LC-MS/MS Metabolomic Profiling to Furanolactam Derivatives.

The Mediterranean marine sponge Spongia officinalis has been reported as a rich source of secondary metabolites and also as a bioindicator of water quality given its capacity to concentrate trace metals. In this study, we evaluated the chemical diversity within 30 S. officinalis samples collected over three years at two sites differentially impacted by anthropogenic pollutants located near Marseille (South of France). Untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomic profiling (C18 LC, ESI-Q-TOF MS) combined with XCMS Online data processing and multivariate statistical analysis revealed 297 peaks assigned to at least 86 compounds. The spatio-temporal metabolite variability was mainly attributed to variations in relative content of furanoterpene derivatives. This family was further characterized through LC-MS/MS analyses in positive and negative ion modes combined with molecular networking, together with a comprehensive NMR study of isolated representatives such as demethylfurospongin-4 and furospongin-1. The MS/MS and NMR spectroscopic data led to the identification of a new furanosesterterpene, furofficin (2), as well as two derivatives with a glycinyl lactam moiety, spongialactam A (12a) and B (12b). This study illustrates the potential of untargeted LC-MS metabolomics and molecular networking to discover new natural compounds even in an extensively studied organism such as S. officinalis. It also highlights the effect of anthropogenic pollution on the chemical profiles within the sponge.

Sponging up metals: bacteria associated with the marine sponge Spongia officinalis.

The present study explored the bacteria of the sponge Spongia officinalis in a metal-polluted environment, using PCR-DGGE fingerprinting, culture-dependent approaches and in situ hybridization. The sponge samples collected over three consecutive years in the Western Mediterranean Sea contained high concentrations of zinc, nickel, lead and copper determined by ICP-MS. DGGE signatures indicated a sponge specific bacterial association and suggested spatial and temporal variations. The bacterial culturable fraction associated with S. officinalis and tolerant to heavy metals was isolated using metal-enriched microbiological media. The obtained 63 aerobic strains were phylogenetically affiliated to the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes. All isolates showed high tolerances to the selected heavy metals. The predominant genus Pseudovibrio was localized via CARD-FISH in the sponge surface tissue and validated as a sponge-associated epibiont. This study is the first step in understanding the potential involvement of the associated bacteria in sponge's tolerance to heavy metals.