Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42364169›Full record

ArticleThe ISME journal2026

Metabolic interactions enable aerobic degradation of the environmental pollutant BDE-47.

Piaopiao Pan, Ning-Yi Zhou

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The ISME journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Piaopiao PanState Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
Ning-Yi ZhouState Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.ORCID 0000-0002-0917-5750

Funding

Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Disciplines Breakthrough Plan of the Ministry of Education of China JYB2025XDXM906National Key R&D Program of China 2024YFA0919000
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

As a prevalent congener of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) poses significant environmental and health risks due to its persistence and bioaccumulation. However, the limited understanding of the microbial degradation mechanism of BDE-47 has hindered the development of effective bioremediation strategies. Here, we decipher an aerobic catabolic pathway of BDE-47 mediated by metabolic relay within a synthetic consortium composed of two environmental isolates, Rhizorhabdus wittichii YL-JM2C and Cupriavidus necator JMP134. Bioaugmentation with this consortium achieved complete removal of BDE-47 in real wastewater samples. The molecular basis underlying this cooperative degradation was elucidated through the heterologous expression and functional characterization of key enzymes involved. Namely, the dioxygenase TcsAaAb from strain YL-JM2C catalyzed the initial conversion of BDE-47 into 2,4-dibromophenol (2,4-DBP) and 3,5-dibromocatechol (3,5-DBC). As a dead-end intermediate in strain YL-JM2C, the former (2,4-DBP) was subsequently transformed into the latter (3,5-DBC) by the hydroxylase TfdB from strain JMP134. The resulting 3,5-DBC was catabolized through the downstream ortho-cleavage pathway present in both strains. These key enzymes for BDE-47 degradation coexist across diverse environments, including soil, seawater, and marine sediments. Global marine metagenomic profiling revealed a significant enrichment of these catabolic signatures in the Mariana Trench, implying that microorganisms in the hadal zone possess the genetic potential for PBDE catabolism. This study unveils previously unrecognized aerobic catabolic mechanisms for BDE-47 within natural ecosystems, offering promising bioremediation strategies for PBDE-contaminated environments.

Indexed as

Environmental PollutantsHalogenated Diphenyl EthersAerobiosisBiodegradation, EnvironmentalMetabolic Networks and PathwaysMicrobial ConsortiaWastewater2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl etherEnvironmental PollutantsHalogenated Diphenyl EthersWastewaterbioremediationcatabolic pathwayecological distributionpolybrominated diphenyl etherssynergistic degradationsynthetic consortium

Identifiers

PMID42364169
PMCPMC13440307

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.