How humic acid and Tween80 improve the phenanthrene biodegradation efficiency: Insight from cellular characteristics and quantitative proteomics.

Abstract Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic and recalcitrant pollutants, with an urgent need for bioremediation. Systematic biodegradation studies show that surfactant-mediated bioremediation is still poorly understood. Here, we investigated a comprehensive cellular response pattern of the PAH degrading strain B. subtilis ZL09–26 to (non-)green surfactants at the cellular and proteomic levels. Eight characteristic cellular factor investigations and detailed quantitative proteomics analyses were performed to understand the highly enhanced phenanthrene (PHE) degradation efficiency (2.8- to 3-fold improvement) of ZL09–26 by humic acid (HA) or Tween80. The commonly upregulated pathway and proteins (Arginine generation, LacI-family transcriptional regulator, and Lactate dehydrogenase) and various metabolic pathways (such as phenanthrene degradation upstream pathway and central carbon metabolism) jointly govern the change of cellular behaviors and improvement of PHE transport, emulsification, and degradation in a network manner. The obtained molecular knowledge empowers engineers to expand the application of surfactants in the biodegradation of PAHs and other pollutants.