CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
MARINE SPONGES AS
BIOCATALYSTS
RENÉ H.WIJFFELS^1 , RONALD OSINGA^1 , SHIRLEY POMPONI^2
AND JOHANNES TRAMPER^1
(^1) Food and Bioprocess Engineering Group, Wageningen University, P.O.
Box 8129, 6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands
(^2) Division of Biomedical Marine Research, Harbor Branch
Oceanographie Institution, Inc. 5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce, Florida
34946, USA
ABSTRACT
There is an increasing interest in biotechnological production of marine-
sponge biomass, due to the discovery of many commercially important
secondary metabolites in this group of animals. Sponges produce a variety
of interesting compounds: cytotoxic compounds that may be used as anti-
cancer drugs, antibiotics, anti-viral agents and compounds with anti-
inflammatory and cardiovascular properties, and compounds that can be
used as anti-fouling agent. Sponges as production organisms are therefore
very interesting. Direct harvesting from the ocean, however, would be
environmentally unacceptable. Production of metabolites using sponge
cells could therefore be the best production method.
Two possibilities are presently in study in our group: growth of
sponges as aggregates (primmorphs) and growth of immobilised sponge
cells.
Primmorphs and immobilisation of axenic dissociated sponge cells
could be a major breakthrough in sponge-cell culture research. Cell-cell
contacts are an essential prerequisite for growth of sponges. Both methods
described have the advantage that cell-cell contacts are maintained in
axenic sponge-cell cultures. In the case of primmorphs, cells re-aggregate
and in the case of immobilised sponge cells, the cells are stimulated to
divide by growth factors and once small aggregates have been formed
growth can continue.INTRODUCTION
Marine organisms are scientifically of great importance for two reasons (National
Science and Technology Council USA, 1995). First, they constitute a major share of the
Earth’s biological resources. Second, marine organisms often possess unique structures,