Project description:Bio-augmentation could be a promising strategy to improve processes for treatment and resource recovery from wastewater. In this study, the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis was co-cultured with the microbial communities present in wastewater samples with high concentrations of nitrate or ammonium. Glucose supplementation (1%) was used to boost biomass growth in all wastewater samples. In anaerobic conditions, the indigenous microbial community bio-augmented with B. subtilis was able to rapidly remove nitrate from wastewater. In these conditions, B. subtilis overexpressed nitrogen assimilatory and respiratory genes including NasD, NasE, NarG, NarH, and NarI, which arguably accounted for the observed boost in denitrification. Next, we attempted to use the the ammonium- and nitrate-enriched wastewater samples bio-augmented with B. subtilis in the cathodic compartment of bioelectrochemical systems (BES) operated in anaerobic condition. B. subtilis only had low relative abundance in the microbial community, but bio-augmentation promoted the growth of Clostridium butyricum and C. beijerinckii, which became the dominant species. Both bio-augmentation with B. subtilis and electrical current from the cathode in the BES promoted butyrate production during fermentation of glucose. A concentration of 3.4 g/L butyrate was reached with a combination of cathodic current and bio-augmentation in ammonium-enriched wastewater. With nitrate-enriched wastewater, the BES effectively removed nitrate reaching 3.2 mg/L after 48 h. In addition, 3.9 g/L butyrate was produced. We propose that bio-augmentation of wastewater with B. subtilis in combination with bioelectrochemical processes could both boost denitrification in nitrate-containing wastewater and enable commercial production of butyrate from carbohydrate- containing wastewater, e.g. dairy industry discharges. These results suggest that B. subtilis bio-augmentation in our BES promotes simultaneous wastewater treatment and butyrate production.

Project description:We developed a laboratory-scale model to improve our understanding and capacity to assess the biological risks of genetically engineered bacteria and their genetic elements in the natural environment. Our hypothetical scenario concerns an industrial bioreactor failure resulting in the introduction of genetically engineered bacteria to a downstream municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWWTP). As the first step towards developing a model for this scenario, we sampled microbial communities from the aeration basin of a MWWTP at three seasonal time points. Having established a baseline for community composition, we investigated how the community changed when propagated in the laboratory, including cell culture media conditions that could provide selective pressure in future studies. Specifically, using PhyloChip 16S rRNA gene-targeting microarrays, we compared the compositions of sampled communities to those of inoculates propagated in the laboratory in simulated wastewater conditionally amended with various carbon sources (glucose, chloroacetate, D-threonine) or the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C2mim]Cl). Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria were predominant in aeration basin and laboratory-cultured populations. Laboratory-cultured populations were enriched in Gammaproteobacteria. Enterobacteriaceae and Aeromonadaceae were enriched by glucose, Pseudomonadaceae by chloroacetate and D-threonine, and Burkholderiaceae by high (50 mM) concentrations of chloroacetate. Microbial populations cultured with chloroacetate and D-threonine were more similar to sampled populations than thoes cultured with glucose or [C2mim]Cl. Although observed relative richness in operational taxonomic units was lower for laboratory cultures than for sampled populations, both flask and reactor systems cultured phylogenetically diverse communities. These results importantly provide a foundation for laboratory models of industrial bioreactor failure scenarios.

Project description:PM2.5 can harm various systems in the human body. However, due to the limitations of epidemiology and toxicology, the disease types, shared and specific pathogenic mechanisms induced by PM2.5 in various human systems are not comprehensive and in-depth revealed. Thus, this study conducted an analysis on the aforementioned issues in respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, female, and male urogenital systems. According to this study, PM2.5 was more likely to induce pulmonary emphysema, reperfusion injury, malignant neoplasm of thyroid, endometriosis of ovary, nephritis in above each system respectively. FOS, extracellular matrix, urogenital system development, extracellular matrix structural constituent conferring tensile strength, and ferroptosis was the most important co-existing gene, cellular component, biological process, molecular function, and pathway in five systems targeted by PM2.5. Furthermore, BTG2, BIRC5, NFE2L2, TBK1, and STAT1 were significantly uniquely targeted by PM2.5 in each system respectively. Important disease related cellular component, biological process, and molecular function were highly specially induced by PM2.5, such as response to wounding, blood vessel morphogenesis, body morphogenesis, negative regulation of response to endoplasmic reticulum stress, and response to type I interferon were the top 1 uq-existing biological processes in each system respectively. PM2.5 highly specially acted on the key disease related pathway, such as PD-L1 expression and PD-1 checkpoint pathway in cancer (respiratory), cell cycle (circulatory), apoptosis (endocrine), antigen processing and presentation (female), and neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction (male). This study provides a new analysis method to clarify PM2.5-related disease types, which is an important supplement to epidemiological investigation. Furthermore, this study has clarified the risks of PM2.5 exposure, elucidated the pathogenic mechanisms, and provided scientific support for promoting precise prevention and treatment of PM2.5-related diseases.

Project description:We developed a laboratory-scale model to improve our understanding and capacity to assess the biological risks of genetically engineered bacteria and their genetic elements in the natural environment. Our hypothetical scenario concerns an industrial bioreactor failure resulting in the introduction of genetically engineered bacteria to a downstream municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWWTP). As the first step towards developing a model for this scenario, we sampled microbial communities from the aeration basin of a MWWTP at three seasonal time points. Having established a baseline for community composition, we investigated how the community changed when propagated in the laboratory, including cell culture media conditions that could provide selective pressure in future studies. Specifically, using PhyloChip 16S rRNA gene-targeting microarrays, we compared the compositions of sampled communities to those of inoculates propagated in the laboratory in simulated wastewater conditionally amended with various carbon sources (glucose, chloroacetate, D-threonine) or the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C2mim]Cl). Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria were predominant in aeration basin and laboratory-cultured populations. Laboratory-cultured populations were enriched in Gammaproteobacteria. Enterobacteriaceae and Aeromonadaceae were enriched by glucose, Pseudomonadaceae by chloroacetate and D-threonine, and Burkholderiaceae by high (50 mM) concentrations of chloroacetate. Microbial populations cultured with chloroacetate and D-threonine were more similar to sampled populations than thoes cultured with glucose or [C2mim]Cl. Although observed relative richness in operational taxonomic units was lower for laboratory cultures than for sampled populations, both flask and reactor systems cultured phylogenetically diverse communities. These results importantly provide a foundation for laboratory models of industrial bioreactor failure scenarios. 46 samples, flask and reactor experiments were conducted in triplicate with two exceptions: [C2mim]Cl_flask and No-Carbon_flask treatments had only one sample (no replicates).

Project description:Atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5) causes severe haze in China and is regarded as a threat to human health. The health effects of PM2.5 vary location by location due to the variation in size distribution, chemical com position, and sources. In this study, the cytotoxicity effect, oxidative stress, and gene expression regulation of PM2.5 in Chengdu and Chongqing, two typical urban areas in southern China, were evaluated. Urban PM2.5 in summer and winter significantly inhibited cell viability and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in A549 cells. Notably, PM2.5 in winter exhibited higher cytotoxicity and ROS level than summer. Moreover, in this study, PM2.5 commonly induced cancer-related gene expression such as cell adhesion molecule 1(PECAM1), interleukin 24 (IL24), and cytochrome P450 (CYP1A1); meanwhile, PM2.5 commonly acted on cancer-related biological functions such as cell-substrate junction, cell-cell junction, and focal adhesion. In partic ular, PM2.5 in Chengdu in summer had the highest carcinogenic potential among PM2.5 at the two sites in summer and winter. Importantly, cancer-related genes were uniquely targeted by PM2.5, such as epithelial splicing regu latory protein 1 (ESRP1) and membrane-associated ring-CH-type finger 1 (1-Mar) by Chengdu summer PM2.5; collagen type IX alpha 3 chain (COL9A3) by Chengdu winter PM2.5; SH2 domain-containing 1B (SH2D1B) by Chongqing summer PM2.5; and interleukin 1 receptor-like 1 (IL1RL1) and zinc finger protein 42 (ZNF423) by Chongqing winter PM2.5. Meanwhile, important cancer-related biological functions were specially induced by PM2.5, such as cell cycle checkpoint by Chengdu summer PM2.5; macromolecule methylation by Chengdu win ter PM2.5; endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi intermediate compartment membrane by Chongqing summer PM2.5;and cellular lipid catabolic process by Chongqing winter PM2.5. Conclusively, in the typical urban areas of southern China, both summer and winter PM2.5 illustrated significant gene regulation effects. This study contrib utes to evaluating the adverse health effects of PM2.5 in southern China and providing public health suggestions for policymakers.

Project description:Characterization of microbial communities at the genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic levels, with a special interest on lipid accumulating bacterial populations, which are naturally enriched in biological wastewater treatment systems and may be harnessed for the conversion of mixed lipid substrates (wastewater) into biodiesel. The project aims to elucidate the genetic blueprints and the functional relevance of specific populations within the community. It focuses on within-population genetic and functional heterogeneity, trying to understand how fine-scale variations contribute to differing lipid accumulating phenotypes. Insights from this project will contribute to the understanding the functioning of microbial ecosystems, and improve optimization and modeling strategies for current and future biological wastewater treatment processes. This project contains datasets derived from the same biological wastewater treatment plant. The data includes metagenomes, metatranscriptomes, metaproteomes and organisms isolated in pure cultures. Characterization of microbial communities at the genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic levels, with a special interest on lipid accumulating bacterial populations, which are naturally enriched in biological wastewater treatment systems and may be harnessed for the conversion of mixed lipid substrates (wastewater) into biodiesel. The project aims to elucidate the genetic blueprints and the functional relevance of specific populations within the community. It focuses on within-population genetic and functional heterogeneity, trying to understand how fine-scale variations contribute to differing lipid accumulating phenotypes. Insights from this project will contribute to the understanding the functioning of microbial ecosystems, and improve optimization and modeling strategies for current and future biological wastewater treatment processes. This project contains datasets derived from the same biological wastewater treatment plant. The data includes metagenomes, metatranscriptomes, metaproteomes and organisms isolated in pure cultures.

Dataset Information

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets