Genome-centric metagenomic analysis reveals mechanisms of quorum sensing promoting anaerobic digestion under sulfide stress: Syntrophic metabolism and microbial self-adaptation

Sulfide stress is a common inhibition factor in anaerobic digestion systems with sulfur-rich feedstocks. Quorum sensing (QS) signaling molecule N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) possess positive effect on promoting anaerobic digestion. However, the micro-biological mechanisms of AHLs affecting syntrophic metabolism and microbial self-adaptation have not yet been deciphered in anaerobic digestion under sulfide stress. In this study, the CH4 production increased by 21.34 % at 20 mu M AHLs addition in anaerobic digestion under sulfide stress. AHLs contributed to establishing potential syntrophic relationship between acidifying bacteria (unclassified_o__Bacteroidales, Lentimicrobium, Acetoanaerobium, Longilinea, and Sphaerochaetaa) and Methanothrix. AHLs promoted syntrophic metabolism by boosting microbial metabolic activity and interspecies electron transfer (IET) process under sulfide stress. For microbial metabolic activity, AHLs promoted the key enzyme synthesis in acidogenesis and methanogenesis. For IET process, AHLs promoted the assembly and synthesis of conductive pili, and synthesis and secretion of riboflavin. Furthermore, AHLs promoted microbial self-adaptation including two component system, lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, and DNA repair, which were important evidences that microbial resistance to sulfide stress was enhanced by AHLs. Microbial self-adaptation provided favorable foundation and safeguard for syntrophic metabolisms under sulfide stress. These findings deciphered the micro-biological mechanisms of AHLs enhancing anaerobic digestion under sulfide stress.