Metagenomic sequencing of terephthalate-degrading consortia from mother reactor (TA_mother_DNA)
A hybrid bioreactor enriched the anaerobic microbial consortia that degrades terephthalate (TA) has been operated for four years in Dr. Wen-tso Liu's lab. Initially the reactor was seeded with sludge obtained from mesophilic upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactors treating dimethylterephthalate. The reactor temperature was controlled under 46-50 C. Terephthalate was used as the sole carbon and energy source in the treated synthetic wastewater. The TA-degrading consortium can effectively degrade phathlate isomers, phenol, benzene and benzoate. Microbial community in this hyper-mesophilic methanogenic bioreactor degrading TA-containing wastewater mainly consists of several phylogenetic groups: Pelotomaculum spp. (possibly converting terephthalate to acetate and hydrogen), methanogens (converting hydrogen or acetate to methane and carbon dioxide), and other key microbial populations with unknown function (candidates phyla OP5 and WWE1, and Thermotoga). Metagenomic sequencing of terephthalate-degrading consortia was conducted in December of 2009. Our three sequenced samples originate from three experiments. (i) Mother reactor samples (TA_mother_DNA). Microbial biomass from mother reactor was sampled at active period (with high TA-degrading capability). (ii) Batch experimental samples (TA_Batch_DNA). Microbial biomass from mother reactor was dispensed into serum bottles for batch experiments supplied with TA. (iii) Batch culture was treated with 40 mM BES (2-bromoethanesulfonate) when 50% of TA was degraded (TA_BES_DNA). Metagenomic sequencing of gDNA was conducted using GS20 FLX platform. Metatranscriptomic sequencing of total RNA was conducted using Illumina sequenzer. |  |  | |