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Metagenomes reveal microbial structures, functional potentials, and biofouling-related genes in a membrane bioreactor

  • Environmental biotechnology
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Abstract

Metagenomic sequencing was used to investigate the microbial structures, functional potentials, and biofouling-related genes in a membrane bioreactor (MBR). The results showed that the microbial community in the MBR was highly diverse. Notably, function analysis of the dominant genera indicated that common genes from different phylotypes were identified for important functional potentials with the observation of variation of abundances of genes in a certain taxon (e.g., Dechloromonas). Despite maintaining similar metabolic functional potentials with a parallel full-scale conventional activated sludge (CAS) system due to treating the identical wastewater, the MBR had more abundant nitrification-related bacteria and coding genes of ammonia monooxygenase, which could well explain its excellent ammonia removal in the low-temperature period. Furthermore, according to quantification of the genes involved in exopolysaccharide and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) protein metabolism, the MBR did not show a much different potential in producing EPS compared to the CAS system, and bacteria from the membrane biofilm had lower abundances of genes associated with EPS biosynthesis and transport compared to the activated sludge in the MBR.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51422811), Shanghai Rising-Star Program (14QA1403800), and Shanghai Science and Technology Commission Fund (13231202000) for financial support of this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, People’s Republic of China

    Jinxing Ma, Zhiwei Wang & Zhichao Wu

  2. Majorbio Pharm Technology Co., Ltd, Shanghai, 201203, People’s Republic of China

    Huan Li

  3. School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, Anam-Dong, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, South Korea

    Hee-Deung Park

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  1. Jinxing Ma
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Correspondence to Zhiwei Wang.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Ma, J., Wang, Z., Li, H. et al. Metagenomes reveal microbial structures, functional potentials, and biofouling-related genes in a membrane bioreactor. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 100, 5109–5121 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-016-7312-3

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