A defined synthetic lignin-valorization coculture pairing a lignin-derived dimer-cleaving Sphingobium sp. with the aromatic-monomer-converting bacterium Rhodococcus opacus. The coculture was designed to funnel multiple low-molecular-weight lignin-derived dimers into cis,cis-muconate and gallate, addressing a key bottleneck in biological lignin conversion. The system is DOE-relevant because it targets lignin, a major underutilized component of lignocellulosic biomass, and demonstrates division of labor for microbial production of renewable chemical intermediates from lignin-derived aromatics.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sphingobium sp. | NCBITaxon:165695 |
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
CROSS_FEEDER
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ABUNDANT |
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| Rhodococcus opacus | NCBITaxon:37919 |
CROSS_FEEDER
PRIMARY_PRODUCER
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ABUNDANT |
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Ecological Interactions
Lignin-Dimer Cleavage Feeds Aromatic Monomer Funneling
CROSS_FEEDINGSource Taxon: Sphingobium sp.
Target Taxon: Rhodococcus opacus
Metabolites: lignin (CHEBI:6457), guaiacylglycerol-beta-guaiacyl ether (CHEBI:53650)
Biological Processes:
- aromatic compound catabolic process (GO:0019439)
Evidence
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PMID:36030484 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"combining lignin-derived dimers cleavage bacterium Sphingobium sp. and monomers conversion bacterium Rhodococcus opacus"
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PMID:36030484 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"lignin-derived aromatic monomers have been funneled to target compounds"
Funneling of Lignin-Derived Dimers to cis,cis-Muconate and Gallate
CROSS_FEEDINGMetabolites: cis,cis-muconate (CHEBI:32379), gallic acid (CHEBI:30778)
Biological Processes:
- aromatic compound catabolic process (GO:0019439)
Evidence
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PMID:36030484 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"funnel multiple lignin-derived dimers to cis, cis-muconate and gallate"
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PMID:36030484 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"were converted to cis, cis-muconate"
Lignin-Dimer Linkage-Class Substrate Range
NICHE_PARTITIONINGMetabolites: lignin (CHEBI:6457)
Evidence
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PMID:36030484 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"beta-O-4 type dimer guaiacylglycerol-beta-guaiacyl ether"
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PMID:36030484 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"4-O-5 type dimer 4,4'-dihydroxydiphenyl ether"
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PMID:36030484 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"beta-5 type dimer balanophonin"
Associated Datasets
| Dataset | Type | Repository | Accession |
|---|---|---|---|
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Rhodococcus opacus and Sphingobium sp. lignin-dimer coculture publication
PubMed-indexed Biotechnology and Bioengineering study developing Rhodococcus opacus and Sphingobium sp. coculture systems for lignin-derived dimer valorization. |
PHENOTYPE | OTHER | PMID:36030484 |
Environmental Factors
| Factor | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Lignin-derived dimer substrates | multiple low-molecular-weight lignin-derived dimers | N/A |
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| Product-funneling objective | cis,cis-muconate and gallate target products | N/A |
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