Abstract

Sponges contain an astounding diversity of lipids that serve in several biological functions, including yolk formation in their oocytes and embryos. The study of lipid metabolism during reproduction can provide information on food-web dynamics and energetic needs of the populations in their habitats, however, there are no studies focusing on the lipid metabolism of sponges during their seasonal reproduction. In this study, we used histology, lipidome profiling (UHPLC-MS), and transcriptomic analysis (RNA-seq) on the deep-sea sponge Phakellia ventilabrum (Demospongiae, Bubarida), a key species of North-Atlantic sponge grounds, with the goal to (i) assess the reproductive strategy and seasonality of this species, (ii) examine the relative changes in the lipidome signal and the gene expression patterns of the enzymes participating in lipid metabolism during oogenesis. Phakellia ventilabrum is an oviparous and most certainly gonochoristic species, reproducing in May and September in the different studied areas. Half of the specimens were reproducing, generating two to five oocytes per mm2. Oocytes accumulated lipid droplets and as oogenesis progressed, the signal of most of the unsaturated and monounsaturated triacylglycerides increased, as well as of a few other phospholipids. In parallel, we detected upregulation of genes in female tissues related to triacylglyceride biosynthesis and others related to fatty acid beta-oxidation. Triacylglycerides are likely the main type of lipid forming the yolk in P. ventilabrum since this lipid category has the most marked changes. In parallel, other lipid categories were engaged in fatty acid beta-oxidation to cover the energy requirements of female individuals during oogenesis. In this study, the reproductive activity of the sponge P. ventilabrum was studied for the first time uncovering their seasonality and revealing 759 lipids, including 155 triacylglycerides. Our study has ecological and evolutionary implications providing essential information for understanding the molecular basis of reproduction and the origins and formation of lipid yolk in early-branching metazoans.

Details

Title
Oogenesis and lipid metabolism in the deep-sea sponge Phakellia ventilabrum (Linnaeus, 1767)
Author
Koutsouveli Vasiliki 1 ; Balgoma, David 2 ; Checa, Antonio 3 ; Hedeland Mikael 4 ; Riesgo Ana 5 ; Cárdenas Paco 6 

 The Natural History Museum of London, Department of Life Sciences, London, UK (GRID:grid.35937.3b) (ISNI:0000 0001 2270 9879); Uppsala University, BMC, Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala, Sweden (GRID:grid.8993.b) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9457); GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, RD3 Marine Symbioses, Kiel, Germany (GRID:grid.15649.3f) (ISNI:0000 0000 9056 9663) 
 Uppsala University, BMC, Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala, Sweden (GRID:grid.8993.b) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9457); Universidad de Valladolid - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Unidad de Excelencia, Instituto de Biología y Genética Molecular (IBGM), Valladolid, Spain (GRID:grid.5239.d) (ISNI:0000 0001 2286 5329) 
 Karolinska Institutet, Division of Physiological Chemistry 2, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm, Sweden (GRID:grid.4714.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0626) 
 Uppsala University, BMC, Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala, Sweden (GRID:grid.8993.b) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9457) 
 The Natural History Museum of London, Department of Life Sciences, London, UK (GRID:grid.35937.3b) (ISNI:0000 0001 2270 9879); Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Madrid, Spain (GRID:grid.420025.1) (ISNI:0000 0004 1768 463X) 
 Uppsala University, BMC, Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala, Sweden (GRID:grid.8993.b) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9457) 
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2650316576
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2022. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.