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Lifestyle and Metabolism
Diverse lifestyles and metabolisms make interesting Endozoicomonas species.

First of all, Endozoicomonas species play a role in the coral sulfur cycle via DMSP metabolism. dddD is the gene of E. acroporae involved in this metabolism, by coding for a bi-functional enzyme with Co-A transferase/lyase activity that cleaves DMSP into volatile DMS. Other genes of E. acroporae are arranged in consecutive order to form an operon with DMSP transport, metabolism, and transcriptional regulator genes (dddT gene: transporter that import molecules like DMSP; dddR gene: transcription regulator able to activate the expression of dddD gene in response to DMSP; dddB and dddC genes: oxido-reductive functions). This means that E. acroporae is able to metabolize DMSP and use it for growth and survival, by linking this metabolism to the central carbon cycle.

Interestingly, Endozoicomonas species, including E. acroporae, are caracterized by the presence of stress-responsive genes at higher proportions, which provide clues for their potential to mitigate oxidative stress.

A high metabolic specificity caracterizes Endozoicomonas sp. OPT23, isolated from the intertidal marine sponge O. papilla (Demospongiae). Indeed, the presence of gene clusters encoding for the lactate, L-rhamnose metabolism, and phenylacetic acid (PA) degradation pathway indicates the probable ability of this microrganism to utilize the alternative carbon sources. By the way, in the genome of Endozoicomonas sp. OPT23:

-         lactate utilization genes are arranged in an operon encoded for a D-lactate dehydrogenase (dldD), three iron-sulfur-containing proteins (lutABC), and a gene coding for FadR transcriptional regulator family (phdR);

-         genes, organized in a putative operon, encode the L-rhamnose (L-Rha) metabolic pathway (L-Rha is utilized as a carbon source in many microorganisms);

phenylacetic acid (PA) catabolic pathway gene cluster is identified as well.

In contrast to their reputation as beneficial symbionts, stands the discovery of the endozoicomonal pathogen, Ca. Endozoicomonas cretensis, identified as a vertebrate pathogen, by causing epitheliocystis in fish larvae resulting inmassive mortality. The genome reveals potential mechanisms for bacterial adaptation, such as IS mediated gene regulation, gene disruption and the presence of species-specific virulence related CDSs. An interesting attribute of Ca. E. cretensis is its arsenal of mucin-degrading enzymes. The T3SS, Tfp, flagella, bacterial motility and chemotaxis systems found in the genome can also play important roles in promoting virulence, from enhancing attachment to host cells, to directly intoxicating them thus disrupting their functions.