Metagenomic Analysis of Biochemical Passive Reactors During Acid Mine Drainage Bioremediation Reveals Key Co-selected Metabolic Functions

Microb Ecol. 2021 Sep 30. doi: 10.1007/s00248-021-01872-y. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTAcid mine drainage (AMD) is the major pollutant generated by the mining industry, and it is characterized by low pH and high concentration of metals and sulfate. The use of biochemical passive reactors (BPRs) is a promising strategy for its bioremediation. To date, there are various studies describing the taxonomical composition of BPR microbial communities, generally consisting of an assemblage of sulfate-reducing organisms inside Deltaproteobacteria, and a diverse set of anaerobic (ligno)cellulolytic bacteria; however, insights about its functional metagenomic content are still scarce. In previous studies, a laboratory-scale AMD bioremediation using biochemical passive reactors was designed and performed, tracking operation parameters, chemical composition, and changes, together with taxonomic composition of the microbiomes harbored in these systems. In order to reveal the main functional content of these communities, we used shotgun metagenomics analyses to explore genes of higher relative frequencies and their inferred functions during the AMD bioremediation from three BPRs representing the main microbiome compositions detected in the system. Remarkably, genes encoding for two-component regulatory systems and ABC transporters related to metal and inorganic ions, cellulose degradation enzymes, dicarboxylic acid production, and sulfite reduction complex were all detected at increased fr...
Source: Microbial Ecology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Source Type: research