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Insight into polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production from xylose and extracellular PHA degradation by a thermophilic Schlegelella thermodepolymerans
Summary
Researchers found that a heat-loving bacterium called Schlegelella thermodepolymerans can convert xylose — a sugar from plant biomass — into up to 80% of its body weight as polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a biodegradable plastic alternative, and can also break down PHA it encounters in the environment.
Accumulation of non-degradable plastic waste in the environment might be prevented by the use of biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). In this study, the thermophile Schlegelella thermodepolymerans produced up to 80 wt% PHA based on dry cell mass. The largest PHA granules were found in the cells within 48 h using 20 g/L xylose, a C/N ratio of 100, an initial pH of 7, at 50 °C. The substrate consumption, pH changes, and cell growth were monitored, revealing the time dependency of PHA production in S. thermodepolymerans. The metabolic pathways from xylose to PHA were identified based on proteomic analysis, revealing involvement of classic phaCAB, de novo fatty acid biosynthesis, and fatty acid β-oxidation. In addition, it was shown that S. thermodepolymerans degraded extracellular PHA with a high efficiency at 50 °C.