Metagenomics analysis of water samples collected from the Yamuna River of Agra city, India.

Abstract

Yamuna River water in Agra city of India is contaminated with toxic pollutants, including heavy metals that cause damage to the environment and human health. At present, the direct use of river water for drinking purposes and household activities lead to the direct exposure of society to the contaminants. In this study, Yamuna River water samples were collected from three different sites in Agra city during the monsoon, summer, and winter seasons. The physico-chemical parameters were estimated along with heavy metals. In physico-chemical parameter, the values found were mostly above the permissible limits. The results water samples contain high levels of cadmium, chromium, lead, and nickel above the desirable levels in most cases. The metagenomic analysis revealed that Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, Actinobacteria, and Planctobacteria were the most abundant phyla with a relative abundance of 61%, 9.34%, 5.23%, 4.64%, and 4.3%, respectively. The Comamonadaceae, the most abundant family consists of the genera involved in hydrogen oxidation, iron reduction, degraders of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and fermentation. The presence of Pseudomonas, Nitrosomonas sp., Thauera humireducens and Dechloromonas denitrificans (decomposition of sewage and organic matter) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa indicates the presence of heavy metal degrading bacteria in water sample. Functional prediction showed the presence of genes responsible for different metabolic pathways that could help developing new bioremediation strategies. The study concludes the status of water contamination, the presence of complex microbial community and suggests the futuristic use and their role in bioremediation.