A meta-omics approach to explore the biofuel-producing enzyme potential from extreme environmental conditions

Geothermally warmed spring water contaminated with decomposed leaf biomass are unique hot spring ecosystems , are expected to support the recycling of various nutrients and to host lignocellulose degrading thermostable enzymes, genes and bacteria. An attempt is made in the present study to explore CAZymes in a carbohydrate-contaminated unique environment at Deulajhari spring through a multi-omics approach using an indigenous consortium developed from the spring sediment. Co-assembly of shotgun metagenome and metatranscriptome libraries from the Deulajhari hot spring consortia sample recovered seventeen refined, high-quality near-complete genomes. The predominant recovery of thermophilic aerobic chemo-heterotrophic Meiothermus and Rhodothermus has been observed through genome reconstruction. The reported production of an array of enzymes, including xylanase, β-xylosidase, endoglucanase and polysaccharide deacetylase, establishes their lignocellulose-degrading ability. The unexpected strong positive correlation between predominating Meiothermus and less prevailing members of Acetobacteraceae, unclassified Gaiellaceae, unclassified Burkholderiaceae and Tepidimonas of the consortium signifies their unexplored role in biomass degradation. Furthermore, the synergistic involvement of the diverse enzymes represented by a vast gene repertoire is responsible for the degradation of complex plant polysaccharides by the group of bacteria. The novelty of the present study stems from the identification of a diverse range of potential lignocellulose-digesting enzymes expressed by the bacterial consortium. This finding emphasizes the significant potential of these enzymes in facilitating industrial-scale production of biofuel, making it a notable contribution to the field.