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Functional expression of polyethylene terephthalate-degrading enzyme (PETase) in green microalgae

Microbial Cell Factories 2020 211 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 45 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Ji Won Kim, Su‐Bin Park, Quynh‐Giao Tran, Dae‐Hyun Cho, Dong‐Yun Choi, Yong Jae Lee, Hee-Sik Kim

Summary

The PET-degrading enzyme PETase was successfully expressed and shown to be catalytically active in the green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, representing the first reported expression of PETase in a photosynthetic eukaryote. This proof-of-concept suggests the possibility of developing algae-based bioremediation strategies for PET plastic waste.

Polymers

A PET hydrolyzing enzyme, PETase, was successfully expressed in C. reinhardtii, and its catalytic activity was demonstrated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of PETase expression in green algae.

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