An archaeal lid-containing feruloyl esterase degrades polyethylene terephthalate
Communications Chemistry2023
58 citations
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Dominik Danso,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Jonas Dittrich,
Pablo Pérez-García,
Pablo Pérez-García,
Pablo Pérez-García,
Jonas Dittrich,
Robert F. Dierkes,
Pablo Pérez-García,
Pablo Pérez-García,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Robert F. Dierkes,
Jennifer Chow,
Robert F. Dierkes,
Jennifer Chow,
Jennifer Chow,
Stephan Thies,
Jennifer Chow,
Elisa Costanzi,
Pablo Pérez-García,
Elisa Costanzi,
Pablo Pérez-García,
Pablo Pérez-García,
Pablo Pérez-García,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Jennifer Chow,
Elisa Costanzi,
Robert F. Dierkes,
Robert F. Dierkes,
Marno Gurschke,
Marno Gurschke,
Elisa Costanzi,
Pablo Pérez-García,
Marno Gurschke,
Marno Gurschke,
Dominik Danso,
Jennifer Chow,
Jennifer Chow,
Pablo Pérez-García,
Marno Gurschke,
Golo Feuerriegel,
Golo Feuerriegel,
Marno Gurschke,
Jonas Dittrich,
Jonas Dittrich,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Robert F. Dierkes,
Jonas Dittrich,
Robert F. Dierkes,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Violetta Applegate,
Robert F. Dierkes,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Jennifer Chow,
Rebecka Molitor,
Violetta Applegate,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Holger Gohlke,
Golo Feuerriegel,
Violetta Applegate,
Prince Tete,
Robert F. Dierkes,
Golo Feuerriegel,
Golo Feuerriegel,
Sander H. J. Smits,
Prince Tete,
Prince Tete,
Prince Tete,
Dominik Danso,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Karl‐Erich Jaeger
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Prince Tete,
Prince Tete,
Holger Gohlke,
Julia Schumacher,
Dominik Danso,
Dominik Danso,
Dominik Danso,
Holger Gohlke,
Dominik Danso,
Stephan Thies,
Julia Schumacher,
Christopher Pfleger,
Christopher Pfleger,
Julia Schumacher,
Holger Gohlke,
Christopher Pfleger,
Holger Gohlke,
Sander H. J. Smits,
Sander H. J. Smits,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Karl‐Erich Jaeger
Ruth A. Schmitz,
Ruth A. Schmitz,
Ruth A. Schmitz,
Ruth A. Schmitz,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Holger Gohlke,
Jennifer Chow,
Jennifer Chow,
Sander H. J. Smits,
Rebecka Molitor,
Ruth A. Schmitz,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Stephan Thies,
Wolfgang R. Streit,
Karl‐Erich Jaeger
Summary
Researchers identified the first known archaeal enzyme capable of degrading polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a major plastic pollutant found worldwide. The enzyme, called PET46, comes from a deep-sea archaeon and showed degradation activity on PET comparable to previously known bacterial enzymes. The study expands the known diversity of plastic-degrading enzymes and suggests that organisms from extreme environments may harbor useful tools for addressing plastic pollution.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a commodity polymer known to globally contaminate marine and terrestrial environments. Today, around 80 bacterial and fungal PET-active enzymes (PETases) are known, originating from four bacterial and two fungal phyla. In contrast, no archaeal enzyme had been identified to degrade PET. Here we report on the structural and biochemical characterization of PET46 (RLI42440.1), an archaeal promiscuous feruloyl esterase exhibiting degradation activity on semi-crystalline PET powder comparable to IsPETase and LCC (wildtypes), and higher activity on bis-, and mono-(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET and MHET). The enzyme, found by a sequence-based metagenome search, is derived from a non-cultivated, deep-sea Candidatus Bathyarchaeota archaeon. Biochemical characterization demonstrated that PET46 is a promiscuous, heat-adapted hydrolase. Its crystal structure was solved at a resolution of 1.71 Å. It shares the core alpha/beta-hydrolase fold with bacterial PETases, but contains a unique lid common in feruloyl esterases, which is involved in substrate binding. Thus, our study widens the currently known diversity of PET-hydrolyzing enzymes, by demonstrating PET depolymerization by a plant cell wall-degrading esterase.