AHL-Mediated Quorum Sensing Drives Microbial Community Succession and Metabolic Pathway in Algal-Bacterial Biofilm System

IF 11.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Water Research Pub Date : 2025-04-22 DOI:10.1016/j.watres.2025.123702

Zuocheng Liu, Ting Zeng, Jinlong Wang, Zongping Wang, Daotong Zhao, Junchi Wei, Yongzhen Peng, Lei Miao

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Abstract

Microalgae, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), and anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AnAOB) have been proven to form an integrated algal-bacterial biofilm system with over 93% of total nitrogen removal. Compared to conventional nitrification-denitrification process, this system operated without additional organic carbon or aeration. In order to understand the interaction mechanisms between bacteria and algae, this study investigated microbial community succession, the changes in metabolic pathways and the potential role of acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL)-mediated quorum sensing (QS) during the formation of the algae/partial nitrification/anammox biofilm system. Within this algal-bacterial symbiotic biofilm, the dominant genera identified were Candidatus_Brocadia (AnAOB), Nitrosomonas (AOB), and Geitlerinema (microalgae), with relative abundances of 13.86%, 6.37%, and 2.88%, respectively. Compared with the first two stages, the abundance of genes related to nitrogen metabolism pathways (anaerobic ammonium oxidation, denitrification, and ammonia assimilation) increased, indicating enhanced nitrogen transformation capacity in the algal-bacterial symbiotic stage. Co-occurrence network analysis also revealed enhanced microbial interactions, with increased negative correlations (from 36.07% to 39.38%), high average standard betweenness centrality (from 0.193 to 0.304), and reduced community vulnerability (from 0.037 to 0.028), contributing to biofilm stability and resilience. The variations in AHLs provided direct evidence for more frequent interspecies communication, facilitating the ecological reconfiguration in the biofilm. Overall, the close synergistic relationship between microalgae and bacteria supports stable biofilm development and high nitrogen removal efficiency.

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AHL 介导的法定量感应驱动藻类-细菌生物膜系统中的微生物群落演替和代谢途径

微藻、氨氧化细菌（AOB）和厌氧氨氧化细菌（AnAOB）已被证明可以形成一个完整的藻-细菌生物膜系统，总氮去除率超过93%。与传统的硝化-反硝化工艺相比，该系统不需要额外的有机碳或曝气。为了了解细菌与藻类之间的相互作用机制，本研究研究了藻类/部分硝化/厌氧氨氧化生物膜系统形成过程中微生物群落演替、代谢途径的变化以及酰基-高丝氨酸内酯（AHL）介导的群体感应（QS）的潜在作用。在该藻-菌共生生物膜中，优势属为Candidatus_Brocadia （AnAOB）、Nitrosomonas （AOB）和Geitlerinema（微藻），相对丰度分别为13.86%、6.37%和2.88%。与前两个阶段相比，氮代谢途径（厌氧氨氧化、反硝化和氨同化）相关基因丰度增加，表明藻-菌共生阶段氮转化能力增强。共现网络分析还显示，微生物相互作用增强，负相关增加（从36.07%增加到39.38%），平均标准中间度中心性高（从0.193增加到0.304），群落脆弱性降低（从0.037减少到0.028），有助于生物膜的稳定性和弹性。ahl的变化为物种间交流的频繁性提供了直接证据，促进了生物膜的生态重构。综上所述，微藻与细菌之间密切的协同关系支持了生物膜的稳定发育和高脱氮效率。

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来源期刊

Water Research 环境科学-工程：环境

CiteScore

20.80

自引率

9.40%

发文量

1307

审稿时长

38 days

期刊介绍： Water Research, along with its open access companion journal Water Research X, serves as a platform for publishing original research papers covering various aspects of the science and technology related to the anthropogenic water cycle, water quality, and its management worldwide. The audience targeted by the journal comprises biologists, chemical engineers, chemists, civil engineers, environmental engineers, limnologists, and microbiologists. The scope of the journal include: •Treatment processes for water and wastewaters (municipal, agricultural, industrial, and on-site treatment), including resource recovery and residuals management; •Urban hydrology including sewer systems, stormwater management, and green infrastructure; •Drinking water treatment and distribution; •Potable and non-potable water reuse; •Sanitation, public health, and risk assessment; •Anaerobic digestion, solid and hazardous waste management, including source characterization and the effects and control of leachates and gaseous emissions; •Contaminants (chemical, microbial, anthropogenic particles such as nanoparticles or microplastics) and related water quality sensing, monitoring, fate, and assessment; •Anthropogenic impacts on inland, tidal, coastal and urban waters, focusing on surface and ground waters, and point and non-point sources of pollution; •Environmental restoration, linked to surface water, groundwater and groundwater remediation; •Analysis of the interfaces between sediments and water, and between water and atmosphere, focusing specifically on anthropogenic impacts; •Mathematical modelling, systems analysis, machine learning, and beneficial use of big data related to the anthropogenic water cycle; •Socio-economic, policy, and regulations studies.