Metagenomic interrogation of urban Superfund site reveals antimicrobial resistance reservoir and bioremediation potential.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

We investigate the bioremediation potential of the microbiome of the Gowanus Canal, a contaminated waterway in Brooklyn, NY, USA, designated a Superfund site by the US Environmental Protection Agency due to high concentrations of contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls, petrochemicals, and heavy metals.

Methods and results

We present a metagenomic analysis of the Gowanus Canal sediment, consisting of a longitudinal study of surface sediment and a depth-based study of sediment core samples. We demonstrate that the resident microbiome includes 455 species, including extremophiles across a range of saltwater and freshwater species, which collectively encode 64 metabolic pathways related to organic contaminant degradation and 1171 genes related to heavy metal util

SUBMITTER: Kolokotronis SO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11999716 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature