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Proteomic characterisation of polyethylene terephthalate and monomer degradation by Ideonella sakaiensis
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Scientists studied a bacterium that can actually eat plastic bottles (PET), figuring out which internal tools and processes it uses to break the plastic down into simpler substances. This matters because plastic pollution, including the microplastics increasingly found in our food, water, and even our bodies, is a growing health concern, and understanding how nature can break down plastic waste could eventually help us develop better ways to clean up this pollution before it affects us further.
Synthetic plastics, like polyethylene terephthalate (PET), have become an essential part of modern life. Many of these products are remarkably persistent in the environment, and the accumulation in the environment is recognised as a major threat. Therefore, an increasing interest has been focusing on the screening for organisms able to degrade and assimilate the plastic. Ideonella sakaiensis originally isolated from a plastisphere has been reported as a bacterium that was solely thriving on the degradation on PET films. The processes affected by the presence of PET and its monomeric substances terephthalic acid, ethylene glycol, ethyl glycolate, and sodium glyoxylate monohydrate were elucidated by analysis of differential protein expression. The exposure of PET and its monomers induced the MHETase and affect two major pathways: the TCA cycle and the β-oxidation pathway. The increased expression of proteins directly or indirectly involved in these pathways suggests their underlying importance in the degradation of PET by I. sakaiensis since these proteins are mechanistically supporting the enzymes involved in the degradation of PET and its monomers.
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Scientists engineered a bacterium that can actually eat and break down PET plastic (the kind used in water bottles and food containers) as its food source, even surviving in real wastewater. This matters because PET pollution breaks down into microplastics that contaminate our water, food, and bodies—and this bacteria-based approach could offer a more practical way to clean up plastic waste that's otherwise hard to collect and recycle.
Ideonella sakaiensis Can Metabolize Bisphenol A as a Carbon Source
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Researchers discovered that Ideonella sakaiensis — the bacterium famous for degrading PET plastic — can also use bisphenol A (BPA) as a food source, and that its key enzymes (PETase and MHETase) can bind BPA and its analogue BPS. This matters because BPA is a widespread endocrine-disrupting plastic additive; a bacterium that degrades both PET and BPA could address two linked plastic pollution problems simultaneously.
In Vitro Degradation of Polyethylene Terephthalate using Pseudomonas species
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Scientists found bacteria in wastewater sludge—naturally occurring, not lab-engineered—that can break down PET plastic (the type used in water bottles), with one strain called *Pseudomonas stutzeri* eating away nearly a third of a plastic sample's weight over two months. This matters because PET plastic breaks down into microplastics that pollute our environment and end up in our food and water, so finding natural microbes that can safely degrade it could lead to more eco-friendly ways to manage plastic waste. Interestingly, combining bacteria didn't work better than using one strain alone, showing that plastic-eating micro
Ester bond pre-activation for high-efficiency biodegradation: A self-reinforcing degradation strategy for PET via an evolved bacterium
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Scientists evolved a special bacterium that can break down PET plastic (used in bottles and clothing) even in harsh, alkaline wastewater, the kind found in some industrial runoff, where normal plastic-eating microbes can't survive. This matters because it offers a gentler, more sustainable way to clean up plastic pollution at its source, potentially reducing the amount of PET and microplastics that end up contaminating water, soil, and eventually our food and bodies.
A multi-OMIC characterisation of biodegradation and microbial community succession within the PET plastisphere
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Researchers performed a multi-omic analysis of bacterial communities colonizing PET plastic in marine environments, identifying microorganisms capable of degrading PET and characterizing the enzymatic pathways involved, advancing understanding of natural plastic biodegradation in ocean systems.
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