A Comparison of Bacterial Diversity Associated with the Sponge Spirastrella abata Depending on RFLP and DGGE

Culture-dependent RFLP and culture-independent DGGE were employed to investigate the bacterial community associated with the marine sponge Spirastrella abata. A total of 164 bacterial strains associated with the sponge were cultivated using Zobell and Natural sea salt media. PCR amplicons of the 16S rDNA from the bacterial strains were digested with the restriction enzymes HaeIII and MspI, and then assigned into different groups according to their restriction patterns. The 16S rDNA sequences derived from RFLP patterns showed more than 95% similarities compared with known bacterial species, and the isolates belonged to four phyla, Proteobacteria (Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria), Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteriodetes, of which Alphaproteobacteria was dominant. DGGE fingerprinting of 16S rDNAs amplified from the sponge- derived total gDNA showed five major DGGE bands, and their sequences showed more than 96% similarities compared with available sequences. The sequences derived from DGGE bands revealed high similarity with the uncultured bacterial clones. DGGE revealed that bacterial community consisted of four phyla, including Proteobacteria (Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria), Actinobacteria, Spirochetes, and Chloroflexi. Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Actinobacteria were commonly found in bacteria associated with S. abata by both RFLP and DGGE methods; however, overall bacterial community in the sponge differed depending on the analysis methods.