We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Engineered yeast biofilms deliver plastic degrading enzymes to PET substrates
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers engineered yeast biofilms to secrete PET-degrading enzymes directly onto plastic surfaces, creating a delivery system that requires no enzyme purification and partially incorporates degradation products into biomass, providing proof-of-concept for biofilm-based bioremediation of environmental plastic contaminants.
Abstract Enzymes that degrade PET and other plastics are being discovered with increasing pace, and engineering approaches further increase their activity. Most proposed applications for such enzymes require their purification, enabling the regeneration of monomeric subunits suitable for the production of new plastic. However, large amounts of plastics exist as environmental contaminants, and are unlikely to be suitable for standard recycling. Such waste may still be suitable for bioremediation using enzymatic activities, albeit without the economic incentives of a full recycling process. Here we develop a delivery system for PET hydrolases, based on engineered yeast biofilms that grow and secrete enzymes directly on the substrate to be degraded. The system does not require any enzyme purification steps, and the biofilms at least partially assimilate the degradation products into biomass. Our work provides proof-of-principle that demonstrates the potential of biofilm-based approaches.
More Papers Like This
Yeast-Mediated Plastic Biodegradation
AI summary Read the abstract
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.
Biofilm Engineering for Efficient Substrate-Enzyme Interactions to Enhance Enzymatic PET Degradation.
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers engineered bacteria to form a dense biofilm coating that anchors a plastic-degrading enzyme onto PET plastic surfaces. In lab tests, this biofilm-bound enzyme broke down PET film into 2.5 times more products than the same enzyme in free-floating form, and kept over half its activity after five rounds of breaking down PET nanoplastics.
Interfacial engineering-based colonization of biofilms on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surfaces: Implications for whole-cell biodegradation of microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
This study applied interfacial engineering to promote biofilm colonization on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surfaces to facilitate enzymatic depolymerization under mild conditions. The engineered biofilm approach enabled efficient PET biodegradation without requiring harsh alkaline conditions or high temperatures, advancing practical plastic bioremediation.
Modulating biofilm can potentiate activity of novel plastic-degrading enzymes
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers discovered two new enzymes capable of breaking down PET plastic (the kind used in plastic bottles) and found that boosting a bacterium's ability to form a biofilm — a sticky coating that helps bacteria cling to surfaces — significantly increased how fast the enzymes could degrade plastic. This biofilm strategy could help accelerate the development of biological plastic-recycling systems for waste that would otherwise end up in landfills.
Current knowledge on enzymatic PET degradation and its possible application to waste stream management and other fields
AI summary Read the abstract
This review distinguished between enzymatic PET surface modification (useful for fiber treatment) and enzymatic PET degradation (needed for waste management), cataloguing the hydrolases capable of each function and the conditions required. The authors evaluate the prospects for deploying PET-degrading enzymes in industrial plastic waste streams.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.