Enhancement of phenol biodegradation: Metabolic division of labor in co-culture of Stenotrophomonas sp. N5 and Advenella sp. B9

•By division of labor, strains N5 and B9 greatly improved phenol degradation.•Expression of key genes involved in phenol degradation was changed in co-culture.•The strains in the co-culture regulated the expression of genes by reciprocities.•Synergistic regulation of gene expression promoted phenol degradation in co-culture.