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Ideonella sakaiensis Can Metabolize Bisphenol A as a Carbon Source
Summary
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.
Bisphenol A and its analogues represent a significant environmental and public health hazard, particularly affecting the endocrine systems of children and newborns. Due to the growing need for non-pathogenic biodegradation microbial agents as environmentally friendly and cost-effective solutions to eliminate endocrine disruptors, this study aimed to investigate the degradation of bisphenol A by Ideonella sakaiensis, based on its currently understood unique enzymatic machinery that is already well known for degrading polyethylene terephthalate. The present study provides novel insights into the metabolic competence and growth particularities of I. sakaiensis. The growth of I. sakaiensis exposed to bisphenol A exceeded that in the control conditions, starting with 72 h in a 70% nutrient-rich medium and starting with 48 h in a 100% nutrient-rich medium. Computational modeling showed that bisphenol A, as well as its analogue bisphenol S, are possible substrates of PETase and MHETase. The use of bisphenol A as a carbon and energy source through a pure I. sakaiensis culture expands the known substrate spectra and the species' potential as a new candidate for bisphenol A bioremediation processes.