Potential use of fungal-bacterial co-cultures for the removal of organic pollutants

Abstract

Fungi and bacteria coexist in a wide variety of natural and artificial environments which can lead to their association and interaction -ranging from antagonism to cooperation -that can affect survival, colonization, spatial distribution and stress resistance of the interacting partners. The use of polymicrobial cultivation approaches has facilitated a more thorough understanding of microbial dynamics in mixed microbial communities, such as those composed of fungi and bacteria, and their influence on ecosystem functions. Mixed (multi-domain) microbial communities exhibit unique associations and interactions that could result in more efficient systems for the degradation and removal of organic pollutants. Several previous studies have reported enhanced biodegradation of certain pollutants when using combined fungal-bacterial treatments compared to pure cultures or communities of either fungi or bacteria (single domain systems). This article reviews: (i) the mechanisms of pollutant degradation that can occur in fungal-bacterial systems (e.g., co-degradation, production of secondary metabolites, enhancement of degradative enzyme production, and transport of bacteria by fungal mycelia); (ii) case studies using fungal-bacterial co-cultures for the removal of various organic pollutants (synthetic dyes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides and other trace or volatile organic compounds) in different environmental matrices (e.g., water, gas/vapors, soil); (iii) the key aspects of engineering artificial fungal-bacterial co-cultures, and (iv) the current challenges and future perspectives of using fungal-bacterial co-cultures for environmental remediation.

Draft Genome Sequences of Two Sphingobium Species Associated with Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) Degradation Isolated from an HCH-Contaminated Soil

“…The availability of the genome sequences of the two Sphingobium species may be instrumental in promoting HCH degradation by mixed (multidomain) microbial communities such as fungal bacterial associations ( 15 ).…”

Mycelial nutrient transfer promotes bacterial co-metabolic organochlorine pesticide degradation in nutrient-deprived environments

“…Our study hence provides for the first time direct molecular evidence for the role of fungal-bacterial interactions for cometabolic contaminant degradation in an otherwise nutrient-deprived environment. In natural environments fungal-bacterial associations (18,22) can develop neutral, competitive (antagonistic) (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved.…”

Draft Genome Sequence of Fusarium equiseti K3, a Fungal Species Isolated from Hexachlorocyclohexane-Contaminated Soil

“…The availability of the genome sequence of F. equiseti K3, together with ongoing efforts to understand its interactions with HCH-degrading bacteria, may provide invaluable insights into the use of fungal-bacterial cocultures for enhanced bioremediation of organic pollutants such as HCH ( 30 ).…”