Physiological and transcriptomic responses of microalgal-bacterial co-culture reveal nutrient removal and lipid production during biogas slurry treatment

Microalgal-bacterial consortia can treat biogas slurry and produce high-value products. This study found that co-cultures of Desmodesmus sp. and Bacillus megaterium improved nutrient removal, biomass production, and lipid accumulation in Desmodesmus sp. Dual transcriptomic analyses revealed that B. megaterium upregulated genes associated with glycolysis, the Calvin cycle, tricarboxylic acid cycle, indole acetic acid synthesis, and fatty acid biosynthesis in Desmodesmus sp. Under a high C/N ratio, key genes involved in fatty acid degradation were downregulated, promoting lipid accumulation in co-cultured Desmodesmus sp. Effective NH₄⁺-N removal in the co-culture under a high C/N ratio was attributed to microbial interactions. Desmodesmus sp. downregulated the URE gene in bacteria, inhibiting urea hydrolysis, while B. megaterium upregulated the URE and gdhA genes in microalgae, promoting urea utilization and NH₄⁺-N assimilation. This study provides new insights into the transcriptional regulation in nutrient assimilation and lipid metabolism in microalgal-bacterial consortia.