Uncovering Phage Diversity and Function in Plastic Fed Mealworm Microbiome

• Marissa Brown, Biological Sciences, University of Delaware

• Mark Blenner, Dept. of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware
• Kevin Solomon, Dept. of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware

The use of plastics is rapidly increasing due to their essential roles in various industries; however, efficient degradation methods for these plastics remain insufficient. Research in my lab has demonstrated that Tenebrio molitor (yellow mealworm) can degrade plastics. Although mealworms can digest these plastics, their digestion rate is slow, limiting their effectiveness in addressing the plastic waste crisis. Additionally, the microbial community within the yellow mealworm’s gut has been found to degrade plastics, but engineering these bacteria is challenging due to the lack of strain domestication and the complex community interactions they rely on for survival. A potential solution is to use bacteriophages to facilitate the editing of the microbial community. My project aims to identify specific phage sequences in the yellow mealworm microbiome for use in synthetic biology. To locate these phages, I analyzed 12 datasets from worms-fed diets with various types of plastic and supplements. I employed the computational tool Vibrant to evaluate the quality and completeness of viral genome assemblies. I have created a comprehensive database categorizing all identified phages within the metagenome and isolated bacteria, including their accession numbers and relevant information, to enable targeted use of these phages. I identified thousands of potential phages across all datasets, with 299 being high-quality and nearly complete. This work will contribute to the synthesis of phages and the engineering of microbial communities in future research.