Rapid Fire Presentation Australian Microbial Ecology Conference 2024

Bridging the gap: optimized CLEM techniques reveal interactions between a bacterial eukaryotic-like protein and a sponge lectin in Cymbastela concentrica holobiont (#60)

Yunke Jia 1 , Joanna Biazik-Richmond 2 , Renee Whan 3 , Torsten Thomas 4
  1. Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  2. Electron Microscope Unit, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  3. Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  4. Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Sponges are ancient metazoans that form intimate symbiotic interactions with complex microbial communities. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these associations remain largely unknown. Metagenomic analyses has revealed a higher abundance of genes encoding eukaryotic-like proteins (ELPs) in sponge symbiotic bacteria when compared to free-living bacteria. ELPs are classes of proteins that are found in prokaryotes, but have a likely evolutionary origin in eukaryotes. They have been postulated to be key molecular mediators of host-microbiome interactions. Our previous research identified SSA4, an ELP with ankyrin repeat domains encoded by a symbiotic gammaproteobacterium in the sponge Cymbastela concentrica. SSA4 modulates amoebal phagocytosis and interacts with a specific sponge-produced lectin protein in vitro. Here, we optimized a correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) method to visualize SSA4 within specific bacteria hosted in the tissue of sponge C. concentrica and its co-localization patterns with the sponge lectin protein. We enhanced both Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)-CLEM and immunofluorescence-CLEM techniques, with respect to ultrathin microtomy preparation, probe hybridization, immunofluorescence labelling and image acquisition, improving fluorescent signal strength and detection sensitivity. Additionally, we established a 3D reconstruction of SSA4 and sponge lectin protein binding patterns. This optimized CLEM technique enables the visualization of protein-protein interactions within the spatial context of bacteria-host associations, providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms of sponge-bacteria symbiosis.