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Molecular Detection of Phycodnaviruses using DNA polymerase B (pol B) gene from sponge species and
seawater surrounding Terengganu islands

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1 Logajothiswaran Ambalavanan , Shumpei Iehata, Sandra Catherine Zainathan
1,2

¹Faculty of Fisheries and Food Science, University of Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus,
Terengganu, Malaysia
2 Institute of Marine Biotechnology, University of Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus,
Terengganu, Malaysia

* Corresponding author: loga_5427@yahoo.com

Abstract:

Sponges are important in nutrient cycles in coral reef systems. Sponges provide a potential for
biotechnology because sponges contain microbial symbionts such as bacteria and virus which helps in
nutrient cycling. Viruses are ubiquitous biotic components of pelagic and benthic ecosystems and are
important in the ecosystem by carrying out nutrient recycling. Viruses such as Phycodnaviruses are
responsible for infecting marine brown algae which have a symbiotic relationship with the marine
sponges. The virus affecting the marine brown algae causes the reduction of marine brown algae, thus
reducing the oxygen and nutrient transfer from algae to the sponge. Thus, the aim of this study was to
detect the presence or absence of the Phycodnaviruses in marine sponges which include Xestospongia
sp., Aaptos sp., Petrosia sp. and Theonella sp. in Terengganu islands, particularly from Bidong and
Karah Islands using the DNA polymerase B (pol B) method. A total of 110 sponge samples from four
species, water samples (n=24) from each island, sediment (n=8), phytoplankton (n=24) (diluted DNA
10x) were collected from both locations. These samples were preceded for PCR analysis according to
Short and Suttle (2003). The primers were based on DNA polymerase B (pol B) of Phycodnaviridae.
Out of 166 samples of each sponge tissue, sediment, water sample and plankton (filtered with
0.22um), the PCR protocol by Short and Suttle (2003) demonstrated 13 positive pooled samples for
the presence of Phycodnavirus in sponge tissue (n = 8) and water samples (n = 5) from Karah Island.
Sequence analysis of DNA pol B gene showed 93% and 92% similarities with unknown
Phycodnavirus clone KBVp-12 DNA polymerase for water samples. These results indicated the first
detection of Phycodnavirus in marine sponge species, Xestospongia muta and Aaptos aaptos, and
water sample in Malaysia.

Keywords: Marine sponge, Phycodnavirus, DNA pol B gene marker, PCR analysis, Bidong island.

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