Insights into the Cultured Bacterial Fraction of Corals
Michael Sweet, Helena Villela, Tina Keller‐Costa, Rodrigo Costa, Stefano Romano, David G. Bourne, Anny Cárdenas, Megan J. Huggett, Allison H. Kerwin, Felicity Kuek, Mónica Medina, Julie L. Meyer, Moritz Müller, F. Joseph Pollock, Michael S. Rappé, Mathieu Sere, Koty Sharp, Christian R. Voolstra, Nathan J Zaccardi, Maren Ziegler, Raquel S. Peixoto
Abstract
Our paper is the first study to synthesize currently available but decentralized data of cultured microbes associated with corals. We were able to collate 3,055 isolates across a number of published studies and unpublished collections from various laboratories and researchers around the world. This equated to 1,045 individual isolates which had full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences, after filtering of the original 3,055. We also explored which of these had genomes available. Originally, only 36 were available, and as part of this study, we added a further 38-equating to 74 in total. From this, we investigated potential genetic signatures that may facilitate a host-associated lifestyle. Further, such a resource is an important step in the selection of probiotic candidates, which are being investigated for promoting coral resilience and potentially applied as a novel strategy in reef restoration and rehabilitation efforts. In the spirit of open access, we have ensured this collection is available to the wider research community through the web site http://isolates.reefgenomics.org/ with the hope many scientists across the globe will ask for access to these cultures for future studies.