title: Sponge-associated bacteria mineralize arsenic and barium on intracellular vesicles.
abstract: Arsenic and barium are ubiquitous environmental toxins that accumulate in higher trophic-level organisms. Whereas metazoans have detoxifying organs to cope with toxic metals, sponges lack organs but harbour a symbiotic microbiome performing various functions. Here we examine the potential roles of microorganisms in arsenic and barium cycles in the sponge Theonella swinhoei, known to accumulate high levels of these metals. We show that a single sponge symbiotic bacterium, Entotheonella sp., constitutes the arsenic- and barium-accumulating entity within the host. These bacteria mineralize both arsenic and barium on intracellular vesicles. Our results indicate that Entotheonella sp. may act as a detoxifying organ for its host.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Ray
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Keren
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Boaz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mayzel
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Adi
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7518-1913
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lavy
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Materials Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
authors.forename: Iryna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Polishchuk
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Materials Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.affiliation: Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Sirine C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Fakra
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Materials Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
authors.forename: Boaz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pokroy
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Micha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ilan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001151:Arsenic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D001419:Bacteria / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D001464:Barium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D002113:Calcification, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology; D022162:Cytoplasmic Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D064307:Microbiota / Q000502:physiology*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000502:physiology*; D047232:Theonella / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D001464:Barium; D001151:Arsenic