Summary
In an acetate‐fed anaerobic–aerobic membrane bioreactor with deteriorated enhanced biological phosphorus removal (
EBPR
),
D
efluviicoccus
‐related tetrad‐forming organisms (
DTFO
) were observed to predominate in the microbial community. Using metagenomics, a partial genome of the predominant
DTFO
, ‘
C
andidatus
D
efluviicoccus tetraformis strain
TFO
71’, was successfully constructed and characterized. Examining the genome confirmed the presence of genes related to the synthesis and degradation of glycogen and polyhydroxyalkanoate (
PHA
), which function as energy and carbon storage compounds.
TFO
71 and ‘
C
andidatus
A
ccumulibacter phosphatis’ (
CAP
)
UW
‐1 and
CAP UW
‐2, representative polyphosphate‐accumulating organisms (
PAO
), have
PHA
metabolism‐related genes with high homology, but
TFO
71 has unique genes for
PHA
synthesis, gene regulation and granule management. We further discovered genes encoding
DTFO
polyphosphate (
polyP
) synthesis, suggesting that
TFO
71 may synthesize
polyP
under untested conditions. However,
TFO
71 may not activate these genes under
EBPR
conditions because the retrieved genome does not contain all inorganic phosphate transporters that are characteristic of
PAOs
(
CAP UW
‐1,
CAP UW
‐2,
M
icrolunatus phosphovorus
NM
‐1 and
T
etrasphaera
species). As a first step in characterizing
EBPR
‐associated
DTFO
metabolism, this study identifies important differences between
DTFO
and
PAO
that may contribute to
EBPR
community competition and deterioration.