Ca. Steroidedax gorgoniicola, a heterotrophic coral associate with horizontally acquired genes from Endozoicomonadaceae

Abstract

Corals associate with many bacteria whose evolutionary histories and holobiont roles are unknown due to a lack of genomic resources. An example is the BD1-7 clade, which is found in some microbial metabarcoding libraries of corals and has been speculated to be phototrophic. To evaluate its phylogenetic position and assess its metabolic capabilities, we assembled and annotated the genome of an octocoral associate classified as BD1-7. Its full genome revealed that it instead represents a distinct and divergent clade of widespread coral associates. We propose the name Ca. Steroidedax gorgoniicola for this associate of Swiftia exserta. Unlike the true BD1-7 clade, its genome encoded no pathways to generate ATP from light and instead reveals that it is likely a heterotroph that can degrade steroids, chitin, and collagen as well as produce toxins or antimicrobial compounds and detoxify several reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. In addition, we identified several genes that were likely horizontally transmitted from Endozoicomonadaceae, including transposases and genes involved in virulence and cell adhesion. This work sheds light on the potential role of horizontal genetransfer in the evolution of symbiosis and highlights the importance of obtaining genomes to resolve coral-associated lineages and their metabolic capabilities.