Genome-resolved correlation mapping links microbial community structure to metabolic interactions driving methane production from wastewater

• Published in: Nature communications 2023-09, Vol.14 (1), p.5380-13, Article 5380
• Main Authors: Kieft, Brandon, Finke, Niko, McLaughlin, Ryan J., Nallan, Aditi N., Krzywinski, Martin, Crowe, Sean A., Hallam, Steven J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 38/23; 38/91; 631/158/855; 631/326/252/171/1878; 631/326/2565/2142; Acetic acid; Anaerobic digestion; Anaerobic microorganisms; Anaerobic processes; BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; Benzoates; Benzoic acid; Biomass energy production; Community structure; Configurations; Gene expression; Gene mapping; Genomes; Glycine; Humanities and Social Sciences; Mapping; Metabolism; Metagenome; Methane; Methanogenic bacteria; Microbial Consortia - genetics; Microbiomes; Microorganisms; multidisciplinary; Municipal wastewater; Natural gas; Oxidation; Physicochemical properties; Populations; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sewage; Sludge; Sludge digestion; Structure-function relationships; Wastewater; Wastewater treatment; Wastewater treatment plants; Water treatment
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40907-5

Anaerobic digestion of municipal mixed sludge produces methane that can be converted into renewable natural gas. To improve economics of this microbial mediated process, metabolic interactions catalyzing biomass conversion to energy need to be identified. Here, we present a two-year time series associating microbial metabolism and physicochemistry in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant. By creating a co-occurrence network with thousands of time-resolved microbial populations from over 100 samples spanning four operating configurations, known and novel microbial consortia with potential to drive methane production were identified. Interactions between these populations were further resolved in relation to specific process configurations by mapping metagenome assembled genomes and cognate gene expression data onto the network. Prominent interactions included transcriptionally active Methanolinea methanogens and syntrophic benzoate oxidizing Syntrophorhabdus , as well as a Methanoregulaceae population and putative syntrophic acetate oxidizing bacteria affiliated with Bateroidetes (Tenuifilaceae) expressing the glycine cleavage bypass of the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway. Anaerobic digestion of municipal mixed sludge is a microbial-mediated process that produces renewable natural gases such as methane. Here, Kieft et al. present the results of a two-year study of microbial community structure and function at a wastewater treatment plant, shedding light on metabolic interactions between microorganisms in relation with methane production.