Screening of disease-associated microbiomes of Lubomirskia baicalensis sponges. Sponge symbiotic bacterial communities metagenome

The purpose of the project was to study the mass disease and death of freshwater sponges observed in Lake Baikal. The object of the study was endemic freshwater Baikal sponge L. baicalensis. We have developed a convenient experimental cell culture primmorphs model for investigating the transmission of pathogenic agents in infected sponges. The composition of microbiome in healthy and infected primmorph cultures, as well as in diseased, rotting and healthy sponges was assessed using 16S RNA amplicon sequencing, with the 454-GS Junior DNA Sequencing Platform and Titanium chemistry.