The universal accumulation of p-aminophenol during the microbial degradation of analgesic and antipyretic acetaminophen in WWTPs: a novel metagenomic perspective
Abstract Background Acetaminophen, a widely used analgesic and antipyretic drug, has become a significant aquatic micro-pollutant due to its extensive global production and increased consumption, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its high-water solubility leads to its pervasive presence in...
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BMC
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Microbiome |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-025-02065-2 |
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| author | Chao-Fan Yin Piaopiao Pan Tao Li Xin Song Ying Xu Ning-Yi Zhou |
| author_facet | Chao-Fan Yin Piaopiao Pan Tao Li Xin Song Ying Xu Ning-Yi Zhou |
| author_sort | Chao-Fan Yin |
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| description | Abstract Background Acetaminophen, a widely used analgesic and antipyretic drug, has become a significant aquatic micro-pollutant due to its extensive global production and increased consumption, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its high-water solubility leads to its pervasive presence in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), posing substantial risks to the environment and human health. Biological treatment is one of the promising approaches to remove such pollutants. Although previous studies have isolated acetaminophen-degrading pure cultures and proposed catabolic pathways, the interactions between microbiotas and acetaminophen, the distribution feature of acetaminophen degradation genes, and the gene-driven fate of acetaminophen in the real-world environment remain largely unexplored. Results Among the water samples from 20 WWTPs across China, acetaminophen was detected from 19 samples at concentrations ranging from 0.06 to 29.20 nM. However, p-aminophenol, a more toxic metabolite, was detected in all samples at significantly higher concentrations (23.93 to 108.68 nM), indicating the presence of a catabolic bottleneck in WWTPs. Metagenomic analysis from both the above 20 samples and global datasets revealed a consistently higher abundance of initial acetaminophen amidases compared to downstream enzymes, potentially having explained the reason for the bottleneck. Meanwhile, a close correlation between initial amidases and Actinomycetota revealed by genome-based taxonomy suggests a species-dependent degradation pattern. Additionally, a distinct amidase ApaA was characterized by newly isolated Rhodococcus sp. NyZ502 (Actinomycetota), represents a predominant category of amidase in WWTPs. Significant phylogenetic and structural diversity observed among putative amidases suggest versatile acetaminophen hydrolysis potential in WWTPs. Conclusions This study enhances our understanding of acetaminophen’s environmental fate and highlights the possible occurrence of ecological risks driven by imbalanced genes in the process of acetaminophen degradation in global WWTPs. Video Abstract |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2049-2618 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | Microbiome |
| spelling | doaj-art-13d059c39ade4d31b7cf1e8ccd8e112f2025-08-20T01:57:48ZengBMCMicrobiome2049-26182025-03-0113111710.1186/s40168-025-02065-2The universal accumulation of p-aminophenol during the microbial degradation of analgesic and antipyretic acetaminophen in WWTPs: a novel metagenomic perspectiveChao-Fan Yin0Piaopiao Pan1Tao Li2Xin Song3Ying Xu4Ning-Yi Zhou5State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityState Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityState Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityState Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of SciencesState Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityState Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, and School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityAbstract Background Acetaminophen, a widely used analgesic and antipyretic drug, has become a significant aquatic micro-pollutant due to its extensive global production and increased consumption, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its high-water solubility leads to its pervasive presence in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), posing substantial risks to the environment and human health. Biological treatment is one of the promising approaches to remove such pollutants. Although previous studies have isolated acetaminophen-degrading pure cultures and proposed catabolic pathways, the interactions between microbiotas and acetaminophen, the distribution feature of acetaminophen degradation genes, and the gene-driven fate of acetaminophen in the real-world environment remain largely unexplored. Results Among the water samples from 20 WWTPs across China, acetaminophen was detected from 19 samples at concentrations ranging from 0.06 to 29.20 nM. However, p-aminophenol, a more toxic metabolite, was detected in all samples at significantly higher concentrations (23.93 to 108.68 nM), indicating the presence of a catabolic bottleneck in WWTPs. Metagenomic analysis from both the above 20 samples and global datasets revealed a consistently higher abundance of initial acetaminophen amidases compared to downstream enzymes, potentially having explained the reason for the bottleneck. Meanwhile, a close correlation between initial amidases and Actinomycetota revealed by genome-based taxonomy suggests a species-dependent degradation pattern. Additionally, a distinct amidase ApaA was characterized by newly isolated Rhodococcus sp. NyZ502 (Actinomycetota), represents a predominant category of amidase in WWTPs. Significant phylogenetic and structural diversity observed among putative amidases suggest versatile acetaminophen hydrolysis potential in WWTPs. Conclusions This study enhances our understanding of acetaminophen’s environmental fate and highlights the possible occurrence of ecological risks driven by imbalanced genes in the process of acetaminophen degradation in global WWTPs. Video Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-025-02065-2AcetaminophenAmidasesEnvironmental fateMetagenomeMicrobiota-pollutant interactionsWWTPs |
| spellingShingle | Chao-Fan Yin Piaopiao Pan Tao Li Xin Song Ying Xu Ning-Yi Zhou The universal accumulation of p-aminophenol during the microbial degradation of analgesic and antipyretic acetaminophen in WWTPs: a novel metagenomic perspective Microbiome Acetaminophen Amidases Environmental fate Metagenome Microbiota-pollutant interactions WWTPs |
| title | The universal accumulation of p-aminophenol during the microbial degradation of analgesic and antipyretic acetaminophen in WWTPs: a novel metagenomic perspective |
| title_full | The universal accumulation of p-aminophenol during the microbial degradation of analgesic and antipyretic acetaminophen in WWTPs: a novel metagenomic perspective |
| title_fullStr | The universal accumulation of p-aminophenol during the microbial degradation of analgesic and antipyretic acetaminophen in WWTPs: a novel metagenomic perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | The universal accumulation of p-aminophenol during the microbial degradation of analgesic and antipyretic acetaminophen in WWTPs: a novel metagenomic perspective |
| title_short | The universal accumulation of p-aminophenol during the microbial degradation of analgesic and antipyretic acetaminophen in WWTPs: a novel metagenomic perspective |
| title_sort | universal accumulation of p aminophenol during the microbial degradation of analgesic and antipyretic acetaminophen in wwtps a novel metagenomic perspective |
| topic | Acetaminophen Amidases Environmental fate Metagenome Microbiota-pollutant interactions WWTPs |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-025-02065-2 |
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