Assembly of 97 Novel Bacterial Genomes in the Microbial Community Affiliated with Polyvinyl Alcohol in Soil of Northern China

BACKGROUND: Undeveloped ecosystems belong to rich source of microbial population, of which resources remain unearthed. A kind of polymeric compound system with high polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) content has been reported and named Taisui. Marker gene amplification showed that Taisui harbored little-explored microbial communities. AIM: To address this issue, our study attempted to recover draft genomes and functional potential from microbial communities in Taisui using the metagenomic approach. Material and Methods. Taisui communities provided 97 novel bacterial genomes from 13 bacterial phyla, including bacteria candidate phylum. Two novel genus-level lineages were recovered from Planctomycetes and Chloroflexi. Based on the draft genomes, we expanded the number of taxa with potential productions of PKS and NRPS in phyla including Candidatus Dadabacteria, Chloroflexi, and Planctomycetes. RESULTS: A rich diversity of PVA dehydrogenase genes from 4 phyla, involving Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Acitinobacteria, and Planctomycetes, were identified. The phylogenetic tree of PVA dehydrogenase showed the possibility of horizontal gene transfer between microbes. CONCLUSION: Our study underscores the substantial microbial diversity and PVA degradation potential in the previously unexplored Taisui system.