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Metagenomic assembled dataset of potentially polyethylene terephthalate-degrading microcosms enriched from seawater, cow dung, and landfill soil

Summary

Scientists have created a database of 99 microbial genomes collected from seawater, cow manure, and landfill soil that can potentially break down polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the plastic used in bottles and clothing. These microorganisms were grown in laboratory experiments for 180 days using PET as their only food source. The research provides valuable information about which bacteria and archaea might help solve plastic pollution problems through natural biodegradation.

Background

Microbial biodegradation of PET presents a promising approach for managing plastic pollution in the environment. There is limited molecular genetic data on bacteria and archaea involved in PET degradation, particularly from diverse environmental sources. This study aimed to address this gap by enriching microbial consortia from multiple environments with PET-degrading capacity.

Objective

To generate metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from 180-day culture-enrichment microcosms using seawater, landfill soil, and cow dung as inocula with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as the sole carbon source. The objective was to identify and functionally annotate microbial genes associated with PET biodegradation.

Results

A total of 99 prokaryotic metagenome-assembled genomes (98 bacterial and 1 archaeal) were recovered, with 52 from seawater, 28 from cow dung, and 19 from landfill soil. Genomes met medium-to-high quality standards with completeness ranging from 76.5% to 100% and contamination below 10%. Prominent taxa included Sphingomonadales, Flavobacteriales, Mycobacterium/Mycolicibacterium, and Rubrivivax species, previously associated with plastic and hydrocarbon biodegradation.

Conclusion

The recovered MAGs provide valuable reference genomes for PET-degrading microorganisms from diverse environments and contribute to understanding microbial plastic biodegradation capabilities. These datasets enable comparative genomic analyses of plastic-degrading communities and insights into evolutionary adaptations to PET contamination. The high taxonomic and functional novelty of these genomes highlights previously unrecognized microbial taxa with potential roles in plastic bioremediation.
  • Published in:Data Brief,
  • Study Type:Metagenomic Data Study,
  • Source: PMID: 40510640
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