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Widespread BHET-hydrolyzing enzymes reveal a community-based pathway for PET transformation in the ocean
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Researchers studied marine bacteria from plastic-covered surfaces, oily sediment, and jellyfish, finding many could break down a chemical building block of PET plastic (BHET). The bacteria had enzymes that worked on this smaller breakdown product but not on intact PET plastic, suggesting multiple microbes work together in steps to break down ocean plastic.
Abstract Plastic pollution in marine environments is pervasive, yet the enzymatic steps governing microbial plastic degradation remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that BHET-hydrolyzing enzymes (BHETases) are readily enriched from distinct marine niches and likely represent a widespread, downstream module of community-based PET transformation. Enrichments from Atlantic plastisphere biofilms, oil-impacted sediment, and host-associated microbiomes ( Aurelia aurita polyps) repeatedly showed BHETase activity of isolates affiliated with globally distributed hydrocarbonoclastic taxa, particularly Alloalcanivorax and Pseudomonas . Genome mining of three obtained isolates guided by the plastics-active enzymes database (PAZy) recovered four BHETase candidates, which adopt α/β-hydrolase folds and efficiently hydrolyze soluble PET intermediates but show negligible activity on intact PET. BHET concentrations used here (~ 39 mM) may exceed inhibitory thresholds, explaining limited growth despite enzymatic activity. Our findings highlight a division of labor in the marine plastisphere, and frame BHETases as evolvable intermediates on the path from promiscuous esterases to PET-active enzymes. This work supports a community-based model of plastic turnover, where rare PET-depolymerizing activities are complemented by abundant BHETases that enable pathway completion. Furthermore, microbial plastic degradation is reframed as a cooperative, multi-step process and identifies marine BHETases as promising targets for improved enzymatic re- and upcycling strategies.
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