1.
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Pierce, FL, USA
2.
Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
3.
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Pierce, FL, USA; Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
4.
Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
5.
Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University, Bodø, Norway
Description
ABSTRACT.
Sponges (phylum porifera) are among the oldest Metazoa and considered critical to understanding animal evolution and development. They are also the most prolific source of marine-derived chemicals with pharmaceutical relevance. Cell lines are important tools for research in many disciplines, and have been established for many organisms, including freshwater and terrestrial invertebrates. Despite many efforts over multiple decades, there are still no cell lines for marine invertebrates. In this study, we report a breakthrough: we demonstrate that an amino acid-optimized nutrient medium stimulates rapid cell division in 9 sponge species. The fastest dividing cells doubled in less than 1 hour. Cultures of 3 species were subcultured from 3 to 5 times, with an average of 5.99 population doublings after subculturing, and a lifespan from 21 to 35 days. Our results form the basis for developing marine invertebrate cell models to better understand early animal evolution, determine the role of secondary metabolites, and predict the impact of climate change to coral reef community ecology. Furthermore, sponge cell lines can be used to scale-up production of sponge-derived chemicals for clinical trials and develop new drugs to combat cancer and other diseases.
SponGES –
Deep-sea Sponge Grounds Ecosystems of the North Atlantic: an integrated approach towards their preservation and sustainable exploitation
679849
European Commission
BLUEPHARMTRAIN –
BluePharmTrain
607786
European Commission
Citations
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