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Plastic-degrading clusters of orthologous groups reveal near-universal biodegradation potential in prokaryotes
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A new database of 625,616 potential plastic-degrading proteins across free-living prokaryotes found that over 95% of microbial species possess the genomic capacity to biodegrade at least one plastic polymer type, with plastic-degrading proteins comprising approximately 3.5% of all prokaryotic proteins. This near-universal biodegradation potential in the microbial world suggests that engineered or natural microbial communities could be powerful tools for addressing the global microplastic pollution crisis.
Micro- and nanoplastic pollution (MNPP) is an increasing environmental threat due to the persistence, dispersal, and potential toxicity of plastic particles. Although microbial biodegradation offers a sustainable mitigation strategy, a comprehensive understanding of plastic-degrading proteins across microbial taxa is lacking. Here, we present the Plastic-Degrading Clusters of Orthologous Groups (PDCOGs) database ( https://phylobone.com/microworld/PDCOG ), comprising 625,616 potential plastic-degrading proteins (PPDPs) from free-living prokaryotes organized into 51 orthologous groups. The database/PDCOGs enable systematic analysis of microbial plastic-degrading capacity across ecosystems and phylogenetic lineages. Notably, PPDPs constitute ~3.5% of all prokaryotic proteins, with over 95% of the species having the potential to biodegrade at least one plastic polymer type. This resource provides a genomic tool/framework for exploring the ecological and evolutionary importance of plastic biodegradation and supports future efforts to mitigate the global MNPP crisis.
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Plastic-degrading clusters of orthologous groups reveal near-universal biodegradation potential in prokaryotes
AI summary Read the abstract
Bioinformatic analysis of prokaryotic genomes identified a set of Plastic-Degrading Clusters of Orthologous Groups, revealing that plastic-degrading protein families are distributed across diverse bacterial and archaeal lineages, suggesting near-universal biodegradation potential in microbial communities.
Plastic‐Microbial BioRemediation DB : A Curated Database for Multi‐Omics Applications
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This study presents the Plastic-Microbial BioRemediation (Plastic-MBR) database, a curated multi-omics resource integrating genetic and enzymatic data related to putative plastic-degrading microorganisms. Application to metagenomic datasets from plastic-contaminated soil and river water successfully identified numerous putative plastic-degrading genes across diverse microbial taxa, supporting in silico screening for bioremediation candidates.
PDG_DB: A comprehensive database unveils environmental distribution patterns of plastic-degrading genes via large-scale multi-omic data analysis.
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Researchers built PDG_DB, a curated database of 341 experimentally validated plastic-degrading gene sequences, then mined 5,466 environmental metagenomic datasets to identify over 7,000 field-distributed genes—finding unexpectedly high abundance in drinking water systems and highest transcriptional activity in marine environments, with PHA-degrading genes dominating globally.
Beyond the Plastisphere: Phylogenetic and Biogeographic Diversity of Marine Microorganisms with Putative Plastic-Degradation Potential
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Scientists searching for ocean microbes that can break down plastic have been mostly looking in the wrong place: plastic debris itself. This study found that many promising plastic-degrading proteins actually come from microbes living on marine animals and other habitats, expanding the pool of candidates for future recycling technologies that could one day help reduce plastic pollution, including the microplastics that end up in our food and water.
Putative degraders of low‐density polyethylene‐derived compounds are ubiquitous members of plastic‐associated bacterial communities in the marine environment
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This study compared bacterial communities on plastic debris from the Pacific, North Atlantic, and northern Adriatic to identify potential plastic-degrading microbes, finding that putative LDPE-degraders are widespread and common members of ocean plastic biofilms. The widespread distribution of plastic-degrading bacteria in ocean environments suggests that biological plastic breakdown is occurring in the ocean, but at an unknown rate.
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