Laboratory of biotechnology and nuclear technology (LR16CNSTN01), National Center for Nuclear Sciences and Technology (CNSTN), Sidi Thabet Technopark, 2020, Tunisia; School of Management, Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX, USA.
Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, LR03ES03 Microorganismes et Biomolécules Actives, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia.
Genomics. 2020 Jan;112(1):981-989. doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2019.06.014. Epub 2019 Jun 18.
Phosphogypsum (PG) is an acidic by-product from the phosphate fertilizer industry and it is characterized by a low nutrient availability and the presence of radionuclides and heavy metals which pose a serious problem in its management. Here, we have applied Illumina MiSeq sequencing technology and five bioinformatics pipelines to explore the phylogenetic communities in Tunisian PG. Taking One Codex as a reference method, we present the results of 16S-rDNA-gene-based metataxonomics abundances with four other alternative bioinformatics pipelines (MetaGenome Rapid Annotation using Subsystem Technology (MG-RAST), mothur, MICrobial Community Analysis (MICCA) and Quantitative Insights into Microbial Ecology (QIIME)), when analyzing the Tunisian PG. Importantly, based on 16S rDNA datasets, the functional capabilities of microbial communities of PG were deciphered. They suggested the presence of PG autochthonous bacteria valorizable into (1) removal of radioactive elements and toxic heavy metals, (2) promotion of plant growth, (3) oxidation and (4) reduction of sulfate. These bacteria can be explored further for applications in the bioremediation of by-products, like PG, by different processes.
磷石膏（PG）是磷肥工业的一种酸性副产品，其特点是养分利用率低，存在放射性核素和重金属，这在其管理中构成了严重的问题。在这里，我们应用了 Illumina MiSeq 测序技术和五个生物信息学管道来探索突尼斯 PG 中的系统发育群落。以 One Codex 作为参考方法，我们展示了基于 16S-rDNA 基因的 metataxonomics 丰度的结果，以及其他四个替代生物信息学管道（使用子系统技术进行宏基因组快速注释 (MG-RAST)、 mothur、MICrobial Community Analysis (MICCA) 和 Quantitative Insights into Microbial Ecology (QIIME)）的结果，用于分析突尼斯 PG。重要的是，基于 16S rDNA 数据集，破译了 PG 微生物群落的功能能力。它们表明存在可用于（1）去除放射性元素和有毒重金属、（2）促进植物生长、（3）氧化和（4）还原硫酸盐的 PG 本土细菌。这些细菌可以通过不同的过程进一步探索，用于生物修复副产品，如 PG。
