Dataset for "Single-Cell Raman-Guided Identification and Recovery of Active Microplastic-Transforming Bacteria from Complex Microbiota"

Here, we established a function-driven, single-cell Raman spectroscopic framework that integrated deuterium-based metabolic profiling, Raman-activated cell sorting (RACS), targeted sequencing, and cultivation.

To circumvent the high cost and technical hurdles of using isotope-labeled plastics to simulate multiple types of MPs in environment, a universal deuterium-tracing strategy that reliably identifies MP-responsive cells based on their metabolic activity under plastic-dependent conditions was developed, directly linking phenotype to genotype and enabling isolate recovery. Applying this platform to the gut microbiota of plastic-fed mealworms, we discovered previously unrecognized polystyrene (PS)- biotransforming bacteria and associated candidate enzymes through RACS and targeted metagenomic analysis, with several of these enzymes being functionally validated via heterologous prokaryotic expression.