Assessing interactions, predicting function, and increasing degradation potential of a PAH-degrading bacterial consortium by effect of an inoculant strain

Macchi, Marianela; Festa, Sabrina; Vega-Vela, Nelson E.; Morelli, Irma S.; Coppotelli, Bibiana M.

Assessing interactions, predicting function, and increasing degradation potential of a PAH-degrading bacterial consortium by effect of an inoculant strain

2019

Macchi, Marianela | Festa, Sabrina | Vega-Vela, Nelson E. | Morelli, Irma S. | Coppotelli, Bibiana M.

A natural phenanthrene-degrading consortium CON was inoculated with an exogenous strain Sphingobium sp. (ex Sp. paucimobilis) 20006FA yielding the consortium called I-CON, in order to study ecological interactions into the bacterial community. DGGE and proteomic profiles and analyses by HTS (High-Throughput Sequencing) technologies demonstrated inoculant establishment and changes on CON composition. Inoculation increased degradation efficiency in I-CON and prevented intermediate HNA accumulation. This could be explained not only by the inoculation, but also by enrichment in Achromobacter genus at expense of a decrease in Klebsiella genus. After inoculation, cooperation between Sphingobium and Achromobacter genera were improved, thereby, some competition could have been generated, and as a consequence, species in minor proportion (cheaters), as Inquilinus sp. and Luteibacter sp., were not detected. Sequences of Sphingobium (corresponding to the inoculated strain) did not vary. PICRUSt predicted a network with bacterial phylotypes connected with enzymes, showing functional redundancy in the phenanthrene pathway, with exception of the first enzymes biphenyl-2,3-diol 1,2-dioxygenase and protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase that were only encoded in Sphingobium sp. This is the first report where a natural consortium that has been characterized by HTS technologies is inoculated with an exogenous strain in order to study competitiveness and interactions.

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