Metagenomic insights into the microbial diversity in manganese-contaminated mine tailings and their role in biogeochemical cycling of manganese

Shreya Ghosh,Alok Prasad Das

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-26311-w

Shreya Ghosh, Alok Prasad Das

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-26311-w

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Abstract

To extend the knowledge on the microbial diversity of manganese rich environments, we performed a clone library based study using metagenomic approach. Pyrosequencing based analysis of 16S rRNA genes were carried out on an Illumina platform to gain insights into the bacterial community inhabiting in a manganese mining site and the taxonomic profiles were correlated with the inherent capacities of these strains to solubilise manganese. The application of shot gun sequencing in this study yielded results which revealed the highest prevalence of Proteobacteria (42.47%), followed by Actinobacteria (23.99%) in the area of study. Cluster of orthologous group (COG) functional category has 85,066 predicted functions. Out of which 11% are involved in metabolism of amino acid, 9% are involved in production and conversion of energy while Keto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes (KEGG) functional category has 107,388 predicted functions, out of which 55% are involved in cellular metabolism, 15% are environmental and information processing and 12% are genetic information processing in nature. The isolated microbial consortia demonstrated visible growth in presence of high concentrations of Mn. Solubilisation studies resulted in 86% of manganese recovery after 20 days. The result presented in this study has important implications in understanding the microbial diversity in manganese contaminated mine tailings and their role in natural geochemical cycling of Mn.

Highlights

Microorganisms are the fundamental form of life on earth and play significant role in soil composition maintenance and metal recycling
Metagenomic analysis of the bacterial diversity of manganese mining deposits was investigated to assess their role in biogeochemical cycling of Mn
Fw109-5 was found to be most enriched followed by Betaproteobacteria bacterium SCGC AG-212-J23 and Deltaproteobacteria bacterium CSP1-8

Summary

Introduction

Microorganisms are the fundamental form of life on earth and play significant role in soil composition maintenance and metal recycling. Several studies on the diversity analysis of microbial communities in varied environments like acid-mine drainage, marine water and sediments and soils have been reported[20,21,22] These studies have provided novel insights on the community structure of a region and on novel genes, metabolic processes, the evolutionary history of the dwelling microorganisms, the mechanism of their metal tolerance and solubilation abilities[23]. The results of this study will provide insight into the community structure of the study site and shed lights on their inherent mechanisms that make them potent for tolerating high metal concentrations in their surroundings Diversity analysis of such extreme environments has got ample attention due to their diverse ecology that can aid in unravelling the underlying mechanisms of their metal resistance and role in biogeochemical cycling of manganese

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