Biodegradation mechanism of chlortetracycline by a novel fungal Aspergillus sp. LS-1

Abstract

Chlortetracycline (CTC), a widely used typical tetracycline antibiotic, has raised increasing concerns due to its potential health and environmental risks. Biodegradation is considered an effective method to reduce CTC in environment. In this study, a strain Aspergillus sp. LS-1, which can efficiently degrade CTC, was isolated from CTC-rich activated sludge. Under optimal conditions, the maximum removal efficiency of CTC could reach 95.41%. Temperature was the most significant factor affecting the degradation efficiency of LS-1. The 19 products were identified in the CTC degradation by strain LS-1, and three degradation pathways were proposed. All the degradation pathways for CTC exhibited ring-cleaving, which may accelerate the mineralization of CTC. To gain more comprehensive insights into this strain, we obtained the genome of LS-1, which had high GC content (50.1%) and completeness (99.3%). The gene annotation revealed that LS-1 contains some vital enzymes and resistance genes that may carry functional genes involved in the CTC degradation. In addition, other antibiotic resistance genes were found in the genome of LS-1, indicating that LS-1 has the potential to degrade other antibiotics. This study provides a more theoretical basis for the investigation of CTC degradation by fungi and new insights into the biodegradation of CTC.

Keywords: Aspergillus; Biodegradation; Chlortetracycline; Degradation products; Genomics.