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Development of a yeast whole-cell biocatalyst for MHET conversion into terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol
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Researchers engineered baker's yeast to display plastic-degrading enzymes on its cell surface, demonstrating a simpler and potentially cheaper approach to breaking down PET plastic — the material used in bottles — without requiring the costly step of purifying the enzymes first.
We demonstrate the feasibility of using S. cerevisiae as a platform for the expression and surface display of PET degrading enzymes and predict that the whole-cell catalyst will be a viable alternative to protein purification-based approaches for plastic degradation.
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Development of a yeast whole-cell biocatalyst for MHET conversion into terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol
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Researchers engineered a yeast-based whole-cell biocatalyst capable of converting MHET — an intermediate product of PET plastic enzymatic degradation — into its component monomers, terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol. This advances the development of biological PET recycling systems that could help close the plastic recycling loop.
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Researchers engineered yeast cells to display both a PET-degrading enzyme (PETase) and a sticky protein (hydrophobin) on their surface simultaneously, dramatically improving the breakdown of highly crystalline PET plastic — achieving a 329-fold increase in degradation rate compared to the purified enzyme alone. This whole-cell biocatalyst approach could make enzymatic plastic recycling far more practical and efficient.
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Researchers reviewed the largely unexplored capacity of yeasts to biodegrade plastics, highlighting species capable of attacking PET and polyethylene and describing how yeast cell-surface display systems co-expressing PETase and MHETase achieve superior long-term PET depolymerization compared to single-enzyme approaches.
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Researchers developed a production and purification process for PETase, an enzyme capable of breaking down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic biologically, as an alternative to inadequate mechanical and chemical recycling methods for mixed and contaminated PET waste. The study addresses the global plastic pollution crisis by advancing the scalability of enzymatic PET degradation as a sustainable recycling pathway.
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Researchers genetically engineered a marine microalgae to produce enzymes that break down PET plastic (the kind used in bottles and synthetic fibers), demonstrating for the first time that a saltwater microalgae can be used as a biological platform for PET degradation. This proof-of-concept points toward eco-friendly, ocean-based solutions for tackling plastic pollution at its source.
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