Metagenomic analysis reveals specific BTEX degrading microorganisms of a bacterial consortium

• Published in: AMB Express Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 48
• Main Authors: Wu, Hui-jun, Du, Xian-yuan, Wu, Wen-jing, Zheng, Jin, Song, Jia-yu, Xie, Jia-cai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 17.05.2023; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Benzene; Biodegradation; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Bioremediation; Biotechnology; BTEX biodegradation; Carbon sources; Consortia; Contaminants; Cyclohexane; Cyclohexane biodegradation; Degradation; Genera; Genes; Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria; Hydrocarbons; Intermediates; Life Sciences; Metabolic pathways; Metagenomic analysis; Metagenomics; Microbial consortium; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Original; Original Article; Petroleum; Petroleum hydrocarbon; Public health; rRNA; Toluene; Xylene; Cyclohexane biodegradation; Metagenomic analysis; Microbial consortium; Petroleum hydrocarbon; BTEX biodegradation
• ISSN: 2191-0855; 2191-0855
• DOI: 10.1186/s13568-023-01541-y

Petroleum hydrocarbon contamination is of environmental and public health concerns due to its toxic components. Bioremediation utilizes microbial organisms to metabolism and remove these contaminants. The aim of this study was to enrich a microbial community and examine its potential to degrade petroleum hydrocarbon. Through successive enrichment, we obtained a bacterial consortium using crude oil as sole carbon source. The 16 S rRNA gene analysis illustrated the structural characteristics of this community. Metagenomic analysis revealed the specific microbial organisms involved in the degradation of cyclohexane and all the six BTEX components, with a demonstration of the versatile metabolic pathways involved in these reactions. Results showed that our consortium contained the full range of CDSs that could potentially degrade cyclohexane, benzene, toluene, and ( o -, m -, p -) xylene completely. Interestingly, a single taxon that possessed all the genes involved in either the activation or the central intermediates degrading pathway was not detected, except for the Novosphingobium which contained all the genes involved in the upper degradation pathway of benzene, indicating the synergistic interactions between different bacterial genera during the hydrocarbon degradation.