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Phenol Carboxylation Consortium

Ecological State STABLE
Environment anaerobic environment
ENVO:00002229
Source File Phenol_Carboxylation_Consortium.yaml

An obligate syntrophic 4-member consortium for anaerobic degradation of phenol via carboxylation to benzoate. The consortium consists of a short motile rod, a long non-motile rod, Desulfovibrio sp., and Methanospirillum sp. (methanogen). Under methanogenic conditions (N2/CO2), phenol is carboxylated to benzoate, which is then degraded to acetate, CH4, and CO2. The three bacterial types exhibit obligate syntrophic interdependence with the methanogen for complete aromatic pollutant mineralization.

Taxonomy

Taxon Ontology ID Functional Roles Abundance
Short motile rod bacterium NCBITaxon:2
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
DOMINANT
Long non-motile rod bacterium NCBITaxon:2
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
DOMINANT
Desulfovibrio sp. NCBITaxon:885
SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
RARE
Methanospirillum sp. NCBITaxon:45200
SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
ABUNDANT

Ecological Interactions

Phenol Carboxylation to Benzoate

SYNTROPHY

Metabolites: phenol (CHEBI:15882), benzoate (CHEBI:30746), carbon dioxide (CHEBI:16526)

Biological Processes:

  • phenol-containing compound catabolic process (GO:0018958)
  • aromatic compound catabolic process (GO:0019439)
Downstream Effects:
→ Benzoate Degradation to Acetate and Methane

Evidence

  • PMID:18281436 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "When 4-hydroxybenzoate was used as the substrate, phenol (maximum, 20 microM) and benzoate (maximum, 92 microM) were detected as intermediates, which were then further degraded to acetate and methane by the coculture"

Benzoate Degradation to Acetate and Methane

SYNTROPHY

Source Taxon: Methanospirillum sp.

Metabolites: benzoate (CHEBI:30746), acetate (CHEBI:30089), methane (CHEBI:16183), carbon dioxide (CHEBI:16526)

Biological Processes:

Evidence

  • PMID:18281436 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "When 4-hydroxybenzoate was used as the substrate, phenol (maximum, 20 microM) and benzoate (maximum, 92 microM) were detected as intermediates, which were then further degraded to acetate and methane by the coculture"

Environmental Factors

Factor Value Unit
Gas phase N2/CO2 N/A
Syntrophic dependence obligate N/A
Substrate phenol (aromatic pollutant) N/A