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Bairoliya S, Koh J, Cho ZT, Cao B. Phototrophs as the central components of the plastisphere microbiome in coastal environments. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 190:108901. [PMID: 39079334 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
Upon entering the marine environment, plastics are colonized by a plethora of microorganisms to form a plastisphere, influencing the fate and transport of the plastic debris and the health of marine ecosystems. The assembly of marine plastisphere is generally believed to be dominated by stochastic processes. However, it remains elusive whether microbial interaction in the assembly of plastisphere microbial communities is conserved or not. We analyzed the plastisphere microbiomes of 137 plastic debris samples from intertidal zones at different geographical locations and habitats (seagrass, coral, mangrove, beach, and open ocean) and compared them with the surrounding sediment and seawater microbiomes. Microbial community structures of the plastisphere from different locations were more similar to each other but differed substantially from the surrounding sediment and water microbiomes, implying a common mechanism of plastisphere assembly. We used different machine learning algorithms (Multinomial Logistic Regression, Support Vector Machine, Decision Trees, Random Forest, and Artificial Neural Networks) to classify plastic debris samples with high sensitivity based on the microbiome composition. Eukaryotic and prokaryotic phototrophic organisms such as green algae, diatoms, and cyanobacteria, were found to be enriched on the plastic surfaces. Network analysis revealed the central role of the phototrophic organisms in the formation and sustenance of the plastispheres. We found that phototrophs served as core members interacting strongly with heterotrophic organisms in marine plastisphere, irrespective of the sampling location, habitats, and polymer types. This would explain the stochastic assembly of the plastisphere along with conserved properties driven by the phototrophs in the surrounding environment. Our results highlight the importance of phototrophic organisms in shaping the marine plastisphere microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sakcham Bairoliya
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Jonas Koh
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Zin Thida Cho
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Bin Cao
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
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Schneier A, Melaugh G, Sadler JC. Engineered plastic-associated bacteria for biodegradation and bioremediation. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT 2024; 1:7. [PMID: 39026535 PMCID: PMC11256910 DOI: 10.1186/s44314-024-00007-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
The global plastic waste crisis has triggered the development of novel methods for removal of recalcitrant polymers from the environment. Biotechnological approaches have received particular attention due to their potential for enabling sustainable, low-intensity bioprocesses which could also be interfaced with microbial upcycling pathways to support the emerging circular bioeconomy. However, low biodegradation efficiency of solid plastic materials remains a bottleneck, especially at mesophilic conditions required for one-pot degradation and upcycling. A promising strategy used in nature to address this is localisation of plastic-degrading microbes to the plastic surface via biofilm-mediated surface association. This review highlights progress and opportunities in leveraging these naturally occurring mechanisms of biofilm formation and other cell-surface adhesion biotechnologies to co-localise engineered cells to plastic surfaces. We further discuss examples of combining these approaches with extracellular expression of plastic-degrading enzymes to accelerate plastic degradation. Additionally, we review this topic in the context of nano- and microplastics bioremediation and their removal from wastewater and finally propose future research directions for this nascent field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Schneier
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Roger Land Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, King’s Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF UK
| | - Gavin Melaugh
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD UK
- School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JL UK
| | - Joanna C. Sadler
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Roger Land Building, Alexander Crum Brown Road, King’s Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF UK
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Huang H, Shi Y, Gong Z, Wang J, Zheng L, Gao S. Revealing the characteristics of biofilms on different polypropylene plastic products: Comparison between disposable masks and takeaway boxes. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 465:133400. [PMID: 38198871 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
The increasingly severe plastic pollution issue was intensified by the enormous plastic emissions into ecosystems during the Covid-19 pandemic. Plastic wastes entering the environment were swiftly exposed to microorganisms and colonized by biofilms, and the plastic-biofilm combined effects further influenced the ecosystem. However, the non-woven structure of disposable masks discarded carelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic was different from those of plastics with flat surface. To reveal the potential effects of plastic structure on colonized biofilms, white disposable surgical masks (DM) and transparent takeaway boxes (TB), both made of polyethylene, were selected for the incubation of organic conditioning films and biofilms. The results indicated that the non-woven structure of disposable mask was destroyed by the influence of water infiltration and biofilm colonization. The influence of surface structure on conditioning films led to a relatively higher proportion of tryptophan-like substances on DM than those on TB samples. Therefore, biofilms with significantly higher microbial biomass and carbon metabolic capacity were formed on DM than those on TB samples owing to the combined effects of their differences in surface structure and conditioning films. Moreover, abundant functional microorganisms associated with stress tolerance, carbon metabolism and biofilm formation were observed in biofilms on disposable mask. Combining with the results of partial least squares regression analysis, the selective colonization of functional microorganisms on disposable masks with uneven surface longitudinal fluctuation was revealed. Although the predicted functions of biofilms on disposable masks and takeaway boxes showed more similarity to each other than to those of free-living aquatic microorganisms owing to the existence of the plastisphere, biofilms on disposable masks may potentially trigger environmental risks different from those of takeaway boxes by unique carbon metabolism and abundant biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hexinyue Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanqi Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhimin Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiahao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Lezhou Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Shixiang Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China.
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Li T, Xu B, Chen H, Shi Y, Li J, Yu M, Xia S, Wu S. Gut toxicity of polystyrene microplastics and polychlorinated biphenyls to Eisenia fetida: Single and co-exposure effects with a focus on links between gut bacteria and bacterial translocation stemming from gut barrier damage. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 908:168254. [PMID: 37923278 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics' (MPs) ability to sorb and transport polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soil ecosystems warrants significant attention. Although organisms mainly encounter pollutants through the gut, the combined pollution impact of MPs and PCBs on soil fauna gut toxicity remains incompletely understood. Consequently, this study examined the gut toxicity of polystyrene MPs (PS-MPs) and PCB126 on Eisenia fetida, emphasizing the links between gut bacteria and bacterial translocation instigated by gut barrier impairment. Our findings underscored that E. fetida could ingest PS-MPs, which mitigated the PCB126 accumulation in E. fetida by 9.43 %. Exposure to PCB126 inhibited the expression of gut tight junction (TJ) protein genes. Although the presence of PS-MPs attenuated this suppression, it didn't alleviate gut barrier damage and bacterial translocation in the co-exposure group. This group demonstrated a significantly increased level of gut bacterial load (BLT, ANOVA, p = 0.005 vs control group) and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP, ANOVA, all p < 0.001 vs control, PCB, and PS groups), both of which displayed significant positive correlations with antibacterial defense. Furthermore, exposure to PS-MPs and PCB126, particularly within the co-exposure group, results in a marked decline in the dispersal ability of gut bacteria. This leads to dysbiosis (Adonis, R2 = 0.294, p = 0.001), with remarkable signature taxa such as Janthinobacterium, Microbacterium and Pseudomonas, being implicated in gut barrier dysfunction. This research illuminates the mechanism of gut toxicity induced by PS-MPs and PCB126 combined pollution in earthworms, providing novel insights for the ecological risk assessment of soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongtong Li
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Baohua Xu
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Hao Chen
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Ying Shi
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Jun Li
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Natural Product and Functional Food, College of Food Science and Engineering, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Mengwei Yu
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Shaohui Xia
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Shijin Wu
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China.
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Guo Q, Ding C, Li Z, Chen X, Wu J, Li X, Yu J, Wang C, Liang F, Chen T, Yang B, Chen T. Characteristics and potential human health risks of microplastics identified in typical clams from South Yellow Sea Mudflat. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 905:167044. [PMID: 37709086 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
The ingestion of clams (Meretrix) with microplastics (MP) contamination could pose potential risk to human health. The characteristics and potential risks of MP identified in wild-clam and farm-clam from South Yellow Sea Mudflat were studied comprehensively in this paper. The results indicated that MP were identified in both wild-clam (3.4-21.3 items/individual, 2.11-10.65 items/g) and farm-clam (1.3-20.8 items/individual, 0.62-8.67 items/g) among 21 sampling sites along South Yellow Sea Mudflat. The MP abundance of clams from marine estuarine or coast ports were significantly higher than those from purely marine coast mudflat, implying that environmental habitats played an important role on MP characteristics. MP abundance were significantly and positively related to shell length, shell height, shell width and soft tissue wet weight by Pearson test, suggesting the bigger the shell, there existed more MP abundance. Among MP in wild-clams and farm-clams, fragment, fiber were most abundant MP shapes, most MP's sizes were lower than 0.25 mm, the predominant colors were black, red, blue and transparent, chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) was the major polymer. Additionally, estimated dietary intake (EDI) of MP for adults via consumption of wild-clam and farm-clam were 1123.33 ± 399.97 and 795.07 ± 326.72 items/kg/year, respectively, suggesting EDI values of wild-clams were higher than those of farm-clams, and MP intake via wild-clam consumption were more than that via farm-clam consumption. The polymer risk indexes (PRI) of MP in total tissue and digestive system for wild-clam were 1297.8 ± 92.15 (hazard level: IV ~ V), 1038 ± 69.55 (IV ~ V), respectively, while PRI of MP in total tissue and digestive system for farm-clam were 979.92 ± 75.45 (III ~ IV), 735 ± 47.78 (III ~ IV), respectively, implying that PRI and hazard level of MP from wild-clam were higher than those from farm-clam, and the potential risks would decrease greatly when digestive systems of clams are removed during ingestion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyuan Guo
- College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province 224051, China.
| | - Cheng Ding
- College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province 224051, China.
| | - Zhaoxia Li
- College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province 224051, China
| | - Xiao Chen
- College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province 224051, China
| | - Jinling Wu
- College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province 224051, China
| | - Xuan Li
- College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province 224051, China
| | - Jianwei Yu
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100019, China
| | - Chunmiao Wang
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100019, China
| | - Feng Liang
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; National Engineering Research Center of Industrial Wastewater Detoxication and Resource Recovery, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province 224051, China
| | - Ting Chen
- College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province 224051, China
| | - Bairen Yang
- College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province 224051, China
| | - Tianming Chen
- College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province 224051, China
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Marín A, Feijoo P, de Llanos R, Carbonetto B, González-Torres P, Tena-Medialdea J, García-March JR, Gámez-Pérez J, Cabedo L. Microbiological Characterization of the Biofilms Colonizing Bioplastics in Natural Marine Conditions: A Comparison between PHBV and PLA. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1461. [PMID: 37374962 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11061461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Biodegradable polymers offer a potential solution to marine pollution caused by plastic waste. The marine biofilms that formed on the surfaces of poly(lactide acid) (PLA) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) were studied. Bioplastics were exposed for 6 months to marine conditions in the Mediterranean Sea, and the biofilms that formed on their surfaces were assessed. The presence of specific PLA and PHBV degraders was also studied. PHBV showed extensive areas with microbial accumulations and this led to higher microbial surface densities than PLA (4.75 vs. 5.16 log CFU/cm2). Both polymers' surfaces showed a wide variety of microbial structures, including bacteria, fungi, unicellular algae and choanoflagellates. A high bacterial diversity was observed, with differences between the two polymers, particularly at the phylum level, with over 70% of bacteria affiliated to three phyla. Differences in metagenome functions were also detected, revealing a higher presence of proteins involved in PHBV biodegradation in PHBV biofilms. Four bacterial isolates belonging to the Proteobacteria class were identified as PHBV degraders, demonstrating the presence of species involved in the biodegradation of this polymer in seawater. No PLA degraders were detected, confirming its low biodegradability in marine environments. This was a pilot study to establish a baseline for further studies aimed at comprehending the marine biodegradation of biopolymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Marín
- Polymers and Advanced Materials Group (PIMA), Universitat Jaume I (UJI), Av. de Vicent Sos Baynat s/n, Castelló de la Plana, 12071 Castelló, Spain
| | - Patricia Feijoo
- Polymers and Advanced Materials Group (PIMA), Universitat Jaume I (UJI), Av. de Vicent Sos Baynat s/n, Castelló de la Plana, 12071 Castelló, Spain
| | - Rosa de Llanos
- MicroBIO, Universitat Jaume I (UJI), Av. de Vicent Sos Baynat s/n, Castelló de la Plana, 12071 Castelló, Spain
| | - Belén Carbonetto
- Microomics Systems S.L., IIB Sant Pau, C/Sant Quintí, 77-79, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - José Tena-Medialdea
- IMEDMAR-UCV Institute of Environment and Marine Science Research, Universidad Católica de Valencia, Av. del Port, 15, 03710 Calpe, Spain
| | - José R García-March
- IMEDMAR-UCV Institute of Environment and Marine Science Research, Universidad Católica de Valencia, Av. del Port, 15, 03710 Calpe, Spain
| | - José Gámez-Pérez
- Polymers and Advanced Materials Group (PIMA), Universitat Jaume I (UJI), Av. de Vicent Sos Baynat s/n, Castelló de la Plana, 12071 Castelló, Spain
| | - Luis Cabedo
- Polymers and Advanced Materials Group (PIMA), Universitat Jaume I (UJI), Av. de Vicent Sos Baynat s/n, Castelló de la Plana, 12071 Castelló, Spain
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