Vertebrate embryos are protected from bacterial infection by various maternally derived factors, yet little is known about the defence mechanisms in elasmobranchs. This study aimed to characterize the intracapsular environment of freshly laid eggs of the oviparous catshark (Scyliorhinus torazame) by investigating the microbial abundance and microbiota to understand its potential contribution to embryonic defence. The egg capsule of oviparous elasmobranchs is tightly sealed until pre-hatching, after which seawater flows into the capsule, exposing the embryos to the surrounding seawater. We found that early embryos were highly vulnerable to environmental pathogens, suggesting that the embryos are somehow protected from infection before pre-hatching. Indeed, the intracapsular environment of freshly laid eggs exhibited significantly low bacterial density, maintained until pre-hatching. Furthermore, the microbiome inside eggs just after oviposition differed markedly from those of rearing seawater and adult oviducal gland epithelia; these eggs were predominantly populated by an unidentified genus of Sphingomonadaceae. Overall, this study provides compelling evidence that early embryos of oviparous cloudy catshark are incubated in a clean intracapsular environment that potentially plays a significant role in embryonic development in oviparous elasmobranchs.
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