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Targeted aggregation of PETase towards surface of Stenotrophomonas pavanii for degradation of PET microplastics
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Researchers developed a strategy to target PETase enzyme to the surface of Stenotrophomonas pavanii bacteria, improving the efficiency of in-situ PET microplastic degradation. Surface-displayed PETase showed significantly enhanced PET hydrolysis compared to free enzyme, offering a practical approach to microbial degradation of dispersed PET microplastics in environmental settings.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most widely used plastics, but its fragmentation into microplastics poses significant environmental challenges. The recycling of PET microplastics is hindered by their low solubility and widespread dispersion in the environment, making microbial in-situ degradation a promising solution. However, existing PET-degrading strains exhibited the limited effectiveness, primarily due to the diffusion of secreted hydrolases away from the PET surface. In this study, Stenotrophomonas pavanii JWG-G1 was engineered to achieve the targeted aggregation of PET hydrolase PETase on the cell surface by fusing it with an endogenous anchor protein. This approach aims to maximise the local concentration of PETase around PET, thereby increasing the overall rate of PET degradation. The PETase surface-aggregated system, S. pavanii/PaL-PETase, demonstrated the highest degradation efficiency, achieving 63.3 % degradation of low-crystallinity PET (lcPET) and 27.3 % degradation of high-crystallinity PET bottles (hcPET) at 30 °C. This represents the highest degradation rate reported for a displayed whole-cell system at ambient temperature. Furthermore, this system exhibited broad-spectrum degradation activity against various polyesters. These findings suggest that this system offers a promising, eco-friendly solution to PET and other polyester pollution, with potential implications for environmental bioremediation strategies.
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Enhanced degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics by an engineered Stenotrophomonas pavanii in the presence of biofilm
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Scientists engineered a biofilm-forming bacterium to break down PET microplastics (the type found in water bottles and food containers) at room temperature. The engineered bacteria achieved significant PET degradation over 30 days and also worked on other polyester plastics, offering a potential biological solution for cleaning up microplastic pollution in water environments.
Display of PETase on the cell surface of Escherichia coli using the anchor protein PgsA
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This study engineered bacteria to display a PET-degrading enzyme (PETase) on their cell surface, eliminating the costly step of purifying the enzyme for plastic breakdown. The approach could reduce the cost of biological PET plastic recycling, potentially offering a more scalable pathway for breaking down one of the most common plastic types.
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