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Rapid Evolution of Plastic-degrading Enzymes Prevalent in the Global Ocean
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Researchers found that plastic-degrading enzymes are rapidly evolving and are prevalent across global ocean environments, suggesting marine microbial communities are adapting to widespread plastic pollution. This points to natural enzymatic degradation as a potentially important but slow mechanism for processing ocean plastics.
Abstract Estimates of marine plastic stocks, a major threat to marine life (1), are far lower than expected from exponentially-increasing litter inputs, suggesting important loss factors (2, 3). These may involve microbial degradation, as the plastic-degrading polyethylene terephthalate enzyme (PETase) has been reported in marine microbial communities (4). An assessment of 416 metagenomes of planktonic communities across the global ocean identifies 68 oceanic PETase variants (oPETase) that evolved from ancestral enzymes degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Twenty oPETases show predicted efficiencies comparable to those of laboratory-optimized PETases, suggesting strong selective pressures directing the evolution of these enzymes. We found oPETases in 90.1% of samples across all oceans and depths, particularly abundant at 1,000 m depth, with a strong dominance of Pseudomonadales containing putative highly-efficient oPETase variants in the dark ocean. Enzymatic degradation may be removing plastic from the marine environment while providing a carbon source for bathypelagic microbial communities.
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Researchers analyzed global environmental DNA data to map the diversity of plastic-degrading enzymes in ocean and soil microbiomes, finding that microbial plastic-degradation potential correlates with local plastic pollution levels. This suggests microbial communities are adapting to degrade plastics in heavily polluted environments.
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This paper examines the apparent paradox that ocean plastic debris measurements are far lower than predicted from input estimates, proposing that evolved microbial biodegradation communities — not just physical removal — may account for the "missing plastic" in ocean systems. The study presents evidence that specialized plastic-degrading microbes have proliferated in ocean environments in response to chronic plastic pollution.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.