A bottom-up, two-member synthetic bacterial consortium, termed RAMC, that couples Rhodococcus jostii strain PET aromatic-carboxylate metabolism with Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1 aliphatic-carboxylate metabolism to consume oxygenated products from post-consumer mixed plastic deconstruction. The platform was optimized across SR:SA starting ratios of 9:1 through 1:9, completely consumed aromatic plus aliphatic model oxygenates that neither monoculture fully depleted, and supported an engineered RAMC-P_9/1 derivative that converted real mixed-plastic effluents into lycopene and microbial lipids.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhodococcus jostii strain PET — ontology label: Rhodococcus jostii | NCBITaxon:132919 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
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N/A |
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| Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1 — ontology label: Acinetobacter baylyi | NCBITaxon:202950 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
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N/A |
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Ecological Interactions
The graph shows only explicitly linked interaction participants. Community members without an asserted participant link are omitted; membership alone does not imply an interaction.
RAMC aromatic-aliphatic oxygenate division of labor
NICHE_PARTITIONINGR. jostii strain PET specializes on aromatic carboxylates generated from PET and PS deconstruction, while A. baylyi ADP1 specializes on aliphatic carboxylates generated from PE and PP deconstruction; pairing the two specialists in RAMC allows complete consumption of the simulated mixed oxygenate pool that neither monoculture depleted.
Participating Taxa: Rhodococcus jostii strain PET, Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1
Metabolites: terephthalic acid (CHEBI:15702 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), benzoic acid (CHEBI:30746 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), acetic acid (CHEBI:15366 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), lactic acid (CHEBI:28358 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), succinic acid (CHEBI:15741 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), glutaric acid (CHEBI:17859 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), adipic acid (CHEBI:30832 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), pimelic acid (CHEBI:30531 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)
Biological Processes:
- xenobiotic metabolic process (GO:0006805 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
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PMID:41381587 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"The consortium consists of Rhodococcus jostii strain PET and Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1, with each strain specializing in the degradation of aromatic and aliphatic carboxylic acids, respectively. "
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PMID:41381587 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"Distinct from either monoculture, RAMC completely consumed all the substrates "
Knowledge gaps & discussions (1)
KNOWLEDGE_GAP OPEN Determine whether A. baylyi ADP1 consumes succinate released by R. jostii strain PET during RAMC growth on mixed-plastic oxygenates.
The paper observed succinic acid accumulation in SR monoculture but not after adding the SA specialist, and it proposed a possible cross-feeding relationship at the succinate node. The authors explicitly state that this should be investigated with multi-omics and/or isotope labeling, so the first RAMC record keeps the demonstrated mechanism at community-level aromatic/aliphatic niche partitioning and does not assert a directional succinate cross-feeding edge.
Attaches to: ecological_interactions#RAMC aromatic-aliphatic oxygenate division of labor
1 evidence item(s)
suggesting a potential cross-feeding relationship at the succinate node between the two specialist strains in the RAMC system
External Resources
| Name | Repository | Resource ID |
|---|---|---|
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PubMed record for Diao et al. 2025 mixed-plastic RAMC paper
PubMed entry for the primary RAMC mixed-plastic upcycling article. |
OTHER | PMID:41381587 |
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DOI for Engineering microbial consortia for mixed plastic upcycling
Version-of-record DOI for the Nature Communications article. |
OTHER | doi:10.1038/s41467-025-67409-w |
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PubMed Central full text for Diao et al. 2025
Open full text used to curate the RAMC construction, media, and cultivation details. |
OTHER | PMC:PMC12816627 |
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Environmental Factors
| Factor | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Simulated mixed-plastic oxygenate pool | 125-750 mM total carbon | N/A |
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| RAMC initial SR-to-SA ratios | 9:1, 7:3, 5:5, 3:7, and 1:9 | OD600-normalized inoculum ratio |
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Growth Media
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