Comparative metagenomics reveals the metabolic flexibility of coastal prokaryotic microbiomes contributing to lignin degradation.

ABSTRACT: Coastal wetlands are rich in terrestrial organic carbon. Recent studies suggest that microbial consortia play a role in lignin degradation in coastal wetlands, where lignin turnover rates are likely underestimated. However, the metabolic potentials of these consortia remain elusive. This greatly hinders our understanding of the global carbon cycle and the "bottom-up" design of synthetic consortia to enhance lignin conversion. Here, we developed two groups of lignin degrading consortia, L6 and L18, through the 6- and 18-month in situ lignin enrichments in the coastal East China Sea, respectively. Lignin degradation by L18 was 3.6-fold higher than L6. Using read-based analysis, 16S rRNA amplicon and metagenomic sequencing suggested that these consortia possessed varied taxonomic compositions

SUBMITTER: Peng Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11742803 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature