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Predicting the plastic biodegradation potential within microbial lineages and across global ecosystems
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Scientists searched thousands of microbe genomes and environmental samples, from polluted rivers to deep oceans, to find bacteria and other tiny organisms with genes capable of breaking down plastic. They found promising candidates in unexpected places, including polar waters and even some archaea (a lesser-studied group of microbes) that hadn't been linked to plastic breakdown before. This matters because plastic pollution (including the microplastics now found in our bodies) is piling up faster than we can manage it, and these findings could help researchers develop new, nature-based tools to break down plastic waste more effectively.
Plastic waste pollution is a global issue that threatens biodiversity and human health. Current plastic waste management practices are not sufficient to keep up with increasing plastic production rates. Microorganisms have the capacity to degrade different types of bio-based and synthetic plastics through enzymatic reactions, offering an alternative solution to traditional plastic recycling techniques. A limited number of plastic-degrading enzymes have been identified, sequenced and characterized; however, studies exploring the distribution of homologues of these enzymes across habitats and microbial taxa have remained scarce. Here, we applied analytical techniques to search for genes encoding potential plastic-degrading enzymes in environmental metagenome datasets and genomes of the Genome Taxonomy Database (GTDB) to explore the geographic and taxonomic distribution patterns of plastic-degrading microorganisms. Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) were constructed from amino acid sequences of known, experimentally verified and putative plastic-degrading enzymes. The HMMs were applied to landfill, soil, river, lake and ocean metagenomes and all archaeal and bacterial genomes in the GTDB. An abundance of hits was discovered across aquatic and terrestrial metagenomes with the majority occurring in polluted rivers, polar oceans and deep ocean samples. GTDB hits were mainly consistent with known plastic-degrading microbial lineages, while also revealing potential plastic-degrading archaeal taxa. The results of this study may be able to assist in the discovery of novel plastic-degrading enzymes for application in plastic waste biodegradation solutions.
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The global potential of freshwater microbes for plastic degradation.
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Scientists scanned nearly 1,000 water samples from lakes and rivers worldwide and discovered thousands of naturally occurring microbes that carry genes capable of breaking down plastic, including 11 microbes with a complete toolkit for degrading polystyrene (the material in Styrofoam). This matters because plastic pollution, including the microplastics increasingly found in our food, water, and even bloodstream, is a growing health concern, and these findings could help scientists develop eco-friendly, bacteria-based methods to clean up plastic waste before it accumulates in our environment and bodies.
Potential routes of plastics biotransformation involving novel plastizymes revealed by global multi-omic analysis of plastic associated microbes
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Researchers analyzed all publicly available genetic data from microbes living on plastic debris worldwide and found that while plastic-eating bacteria are rare in most environments, rivers appear to be hotspots for novel plastic-degrading organisms. They also created a freely accessible database of these plastic-associated microbes, which could accelerate efforts to develop biological solutions for plastic pollution.
Beyond the Plastisphere: Phylogenetic and Biogeographic Diversity of Marine Microorganisms with Putative Plastic-Degradation Potential
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Scientists searching for ocean microbes that can break down plastic have been mostly looking in the wrong place: plastic debris itself. This study found that many promising plastic-degrading proteins actually come from microbes living on marine animals and other habitats, expanding the pool of candidates for future recycling technologies that could one day help reduce plastic pollution, including the microplastics that end up in our food and water.
Plastic-degrading potential across the global microbiome correlates with recent pollution trends
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Researchers analyzed global environmental DNA data to map the diversity of plastic-degrading enzymes in ocean and soil microbiomes, finding that microbial plastic-degradation potential correlates with local plastic pollution levels. This suggests microbial communities are adapting to degrade plastics in heavily polluted environments.
Global distribution of marine microplastics and potential for biodegradation
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Researchers created a global map predicting marine microplastic pollution using machine learning based on over 9,400 samples and assessed the potential for biodegradation using marine metagenome data. The study found that microplastics converge in subtropical gyres and polar seas, and identified marine microbial communities with genetic potential for plastic biodegradation, suggesting nature may offer partial solutions to this pollution problem.
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