Resuscitation-promoting factor stimulated the hydrocarbon biodegradation of VBNC-like Gordonia polyisoprenovorans ZM27 induced by high salinity pressure

Exploiting efficient degraders and maintaining the expected remediation effect in the practical environment are core issues of soil petroleum hydrocarbon bioremediation. The exploration of resuscitated strains, facilitated by the resuscitation-promoting factor(Rpf), has substantially expanded the pool of cultivated degraders. In this study, a strain of Gordonia polyisoprenivorans ZM27 was isolated with the stimulation of Rpf. ZM 27 exhibited effective degradation of n-hexadecane and robust resistance to long-term stress induced by 10% NaCl and starvation while maintaining its culturability. And ZM27 entered the VBNC-like state which was characterized by significant decreases in Colony Forming Units (CFU) and notable changes in both morphological and physiological traits compared with alive cells. The whole genome sequencing and analysis showed that ZM27 harbored various functional genes related to various xenobiotic biodegradation indicating ZM27 is a generalist degrader with great potential for bioremediation. Subsequently, a microcosm experiment was performed to demonstrate remarkable efficiency in petroleum hydrocarbon degradation and strong resistance against stress in the soil ecosystem. The treatment combining VBNC-like ZM27 with Rpf exhibited the most effective biodegradation compared with other treatments, and the initial n-hexadecane content (1,000 mg kg-1) was reduced by 62.96% after 7 days of incubation These findings highlighted the great potential of resuscitated strains in bioaugmentation and shed light on the survival strategy of genus Gordonia under stressful conditions.