Ciuchcinski Karol, Czerwonka Grzegorz, Decewicz Przemyslaw, Godlewska Zofia, Misiolek Katarzyna, Zegadlo Katarzyna, Styczynski Michal, Dziewit Lukasz
Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
Division of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce, Poland.
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2025 Mar 18;109(1):66. doi: 10.1007/s00253-025-13448-8.
Degradation and erosion of soil is a significant threat to global food security and overall agricultural productivity. This issue is exacerbated by climate change and intensive human activity, meaning that the development of sustainable solutions for those problems is critical. Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) offers a promising approach to stabilise soil particles; however, its applicability at low temperatures remains limited. In our study, we introduce a novel two-strain system combining the type strain for biocementation experiments, Sporosarcina pasteurii DSM 33, and Sporosarcina sp. ANT_H38, a novel, psychrotolerant strain obtained from the Antarctic. The novel strain enabled enhanced biocementation performance when combined with the type strain. Biocementation experiments showed a 3.5-fold increase in soil cohesion, while maintaining a similar internal friction angle compared to the type strain alone (10.7 kPa vs 34.12 kPa; 0.55 kPa for untreated soil). The increased cohesion significantly reduces susceptibility to erosion, offering a practical and sustainable solution. Furthermore, to better understand the mechanisms driving this process, we conducted a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of the ANT_H38 genome, revealing unique cold-adaptive genes, as well as urease genes, which are evolutionarily distant from other Sporosarcina ureases. Those results provide valuable insights into the strain's functional adaptations, particularly under low-temperature conditions. Overall, our study addresses a critical issue, offering a robust, nature-based solution that enhances soil resilience through MICP. Performed laboratory work confirms the potential of the system for real-world applications, while the comprehensive bioinformatic analysis provides the much needed context and information regarding the possible mechanisms behind the process. KEY POINTS: • Antarctic Sporosarcina sp. ANT_H38 contains unique urease genes • Two-strain ANT_H38/DSM33 system effectively stabilises soil at low temperatures • Two-strain system has potential for stopping soil erosion and desertification.
土壤退化和侵蚀对全球粮食安全和农业总体生产力构成重大威胁。气候变化和人类的密集活动使这一问题更加严重，这意味着为这些问题开发可持续解决方案至关重要。微生物诱导碳酸钙沉淀（MICP）为稳定土壤颗粒提供了一种有前景的方法；然而，其在低温下的适用性仍然有限。在我们的研究中，我们引入了一种新型双菌株系统，该系统结合了用于生物胶结实验的模式菌株巴氏芽孢八叠球菌DSM 33和芽孢八叠球菌属ANT_H38，后者是一种从南极获得的新型耐冷菌株。该新型菌株与模式菌株结合时，生物胶结性能得到增强。生物胶结实验表明，土壤凝聚力提高了3.5倍，同时与单独使用模式菌株相比，内摩擦角保持相似（10.7千帕对34.12千帕；未处理土壤为0.55千帕）。凝聚力的增加显著降低了土壤被侵蚀的可能性，提供了一种切实可行的可持续解决方案。此外，为了更好地理解驱动这一过程的机制，我们对ANT_H38基因组进行了全面的生物信息学分析，揭示了独特的冷适应基因以及脲酶基因，这些脲酶基因在进化上与其他芽孢八叠球菌脲酶相距甚远。这些结果为该菌株的功能适应性提供了有价值的见解，特别是在低温条件下。总体而言，我们的研究解决了一个关键问题，提供了一种强大的、基于自然的解决方案，通过微生物诱导碳酸钙沉淀提高土壤恢复力。所进行的实验室工作证实了该系统在实际应用中的潜力，而全面的生物信息学分析提供了关于该过程背后可能机制的急需背景和信息。要点：• 南极芽孢八叠球菌属ANT_H38含有独特的脲酶基因 • ANT_H38/DSM33双菌株系统在低温下能有效稳定土壤 • 双菌株系统有阻止土壤侵蚀和沙漠化的潜力
