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Engineered microbial platform confers resistance against heavy metals via phosphomelanin biosynthesis
Summary
Researchers genetically engineered microbes to produce phosphomelanin, a pigment that confers resistance to toxic heavy metals, and combined this capability with PET-degrading enzymes. This dual-function platform is designed to handle metallized plastic waste, where both plastic polymers and metal coatings pose disposal challenges. The work represents a step toward integrated biological systems for managing complex, contaminated waste materials.
Environmental concerns are increasingly fueling interest in engineered living materials derived from microbial sources. Melanin biosynthesis in microbes, particularly facilitated by recombinant tyrosinase expression, offers sustainable protection for the habitat of microorganisms against severe environmental stressors. However, there exists a vast urgency to optimize these engineered microbial platforms, which will amplify their protective capabilities, integrate multifaceted functions, and thereby expand their utility and effectiveness. Here, we genetically engineer microbial platforms capable of endogenously biosynthesizing phosphomelanin, a unique phosphorus-containing melanin. The ability to heterogeneously biosynthesize phosphomelanin endows the microbes with enhanced resistance to heavy metals, thus safeguarding their survival in adverse conditions. Furthermore, we upgrade these engineered microbes by integrating PET-degrading enzymes, thereby achieving effective integrated management of metallized plastic waste. This engineered microbial platform, with its phosphomelanin biosynthetic capabilities, presents significant opportunities for microbes to engage in bioengineering manufacturing, potentially serving as the next-generation guardians against global ecological challenges.