Comparative Genomic Analysis of Bacterial Strain PL and Detection of Sustainable Bio-Electricity Producing Features

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the whole genome of the bacterial strain PL, isolated from pond sediment, to evaluate its genetic characteristics in the degradation of waste and toxic substrates and the generation of bioelectricity. This was compared to the type strain of the bacterial species Geobacter sulfurreducens (G. sulfurreducens) (PCA) and the strain KN400. Genomic taxonomy on the TYGS platform established the affiliation of strain PL with the bacterial species G. sulfurreducens. Subsequently, a genomic study of strains PL, PCA, and KN400 was performed using various bioinformatics tools. These included the study of genes associated with functional categories (COG) through genome annotation using the RAST server, followed by gene identification using the Prokka program to discover and identify genes related to electricity production. The results of the genomic analysis of the PL strain showed that it possesses many genes necessary for generating electric current. These included genes related to the formation of thick biofilms, adhesion to the anode of microbial fuel cells (MFCs), oxidation of various substrates and environmental pollutants, and extracellular electron transfer. Overall, the obtained results indicate that the PL strain is a promising candidate for sustainable bioenergy generation. KEYWORDS bioinformatics tools, genomic analysis, geobacter sulfurreducens, MFCs, sustainable bioenergy, whole genome