Breakthrough Marine Microbiome Database Offers Solutions for Plastic Pollution and Antibiotic Resistance

The team spent five years analyzing nearly 240 terabytes of publicly available marine metagenomic data, creating a vast database containing 43,191 metagenome-assembled genomes and 2.46 billion gene sequences. More than 20,000 of these genomes were classified as potential novel species. The findings were recently published in Nature.

The database encompasses information on diverse marine ecosystems, from the Antarctic to the Arctic, coastal areas to the open ocean, and the ocean's surface to the hadal zone, nearly 10,000 meters deep.

"This study significantly expands our understanding of marine microorganisms, particularly marine archaea and bacteria," said Fan Guangyi, director of BGI-Research. "It also sheds light on the biogeographical distribution patterns of these microbial communities across different environments."

Among the discoveries were three new enzymes capable of degrading polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic. One of these enzymes demonstrated the ability to degrade PET plastic film within three days, achieving an 83 percent degradation rate. 

"One gram of this enzyme can break down 55 500-milliliter plastic water bottles," explained Li Shengying, co-corresponding author of the study. Li highlighted that this discovery could play a crucial role in reducing plastic pollution, promoting the sustainable use of PET plastics, and reducing the plastic industry's reliance on petroleum, thereby lowering carbon emissions.

The research team also explored the genetic diversity in the database, identifying 36 novel gene-editing systems. One of these systems has shown exceptional performance in genome editing during tests, positioning it as a promising tool for both basic research and translational medicine.

Additionally, 117 potential new antimicrobial peptides were discovered, with 10 exhibiting broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. These findings pave the way for new approaches to combat antibiotic resistance.

"These antimicrobial peptides could potentially lead to the development of entirely new classes of antibiotics or other therapeutic drugs," Li added.

To further develop and commercialize these discoveries, BGI-Research has partnered with Hong Kong Polytechnic University to establish a joint research center.