16S rRNA, metagenomic and metatranscriptomic profiling of protein-enhanced marine cold seep sediment culture for reductive dehagenation

This study investigated the effects of natural protein materials on microbial communities involved in reductive dehalogenation. First, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed on marine sediment cultures derived from the Haima Cold Seep in the South China Sea, which were enriched with 2,4,6-tribromophenol as the substrate and supplemented with one of seven different natural protein materials: beef, bovine serum albumin, egg, peanut, pork, sesame, or soybean, to analyze their distinct impacts on the microbial community structure. Furthermore, integrated multi-omics analyses (metagenomic and metatranscriptomic) were conducted on cultures enriched with either 2,4,6-tribromophenol or tetrachloroethylene to systematically elucidate the promoting role of bovine serum albumin as an enhancing factor in the microbial reductive dehalogenation process.