Phthalocyanine Blue Leaching During Photoaging of Microplastics and Exposure Effects on Microcystis Aeruginosa : Physiological Characteristics, Electron Transfer, And Transcriptomic Analysis

Effects and Mechanisms of Microplastics on Photosynthetic Bacterial Protein Production in Wastewater

Genomics and Proteomics Associated with Bioremediation of Microplastics

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Researchers are using genomics and proteomics to identify and engineer microbes and enzymes capable of breaking down microplastics in the environment, a field that holds promise for biological cleanup of plastic pollution. Understanding which genes and proteins drive plastic degradation could lead to targeted bioremediation strategies for soils and waterways contaminated with persistent plastic fragments.

Size- and polymer-dependent toxicity of microplastics on Achromobacter-mediated PCB biodegradation: Gene suppression, oxidative stress, and morphological responses

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Tiny plastic particles found everywhere in our environment may be making it harder for helpful bacteria to break down PCBs, toxic industrial chemicals still lingering in soil and water decades after being banned. The smaller the plastic pieces (like those 25 micrometers wide, smaller than a human hair), the more they stressed out these cleanup bacteria and shut down the genes they need to do their job. This matters because it suggests microplastic pollution could be secretly slowing down nature's ability to clean up other toxic chemicals, potentially leaving more harmful PCBs in our environment for longer.

Mycodegradation of Microplastics

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This review surveys fungal species with demonstrated capacity to degrade microplastic polymers — a process termed mycodegradation — and evaluates the mechanisms and limitations of fungal-based bioremediation approaches. Fungal degradation of microplastics offers a scalable, environmentally compatible strategy for reducing the persistent plastic burden in soils and aquatic systems, ultimately limiting the contamination that reaches food supplies and human bodies.

Biodegradation of Microplastics by Microbes

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Researchers examined how microplastic-degrading bacteria break down polymer structures by secreting hydrolytic extracellular enzymes including lipase, keratinase, and cellulases, providing foundational insight into the enzymatic pathways that underpin microbial biodegradation of plastic particles.