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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Synthetic biology encompasses metagenomics, ecosystems, and biodiversity sustainability within its scope
ClearEngineering a microbiosphere to clean up the ocean – inspiration from the plastisphere
This perspective paper proposes engineering a microbiosphere on plastic surfaces in the ocean by recruiting and cultivating plastic-degrading microorganisms to degrade floating plastic waste in situ, drawing inspiration from the natural microbial communities found in the plastisphere.
Unveiling the hidden world of microorganisms and their impact on the Earth's ecosystems
This paper is not directly about microplastics; it is a broad review of microbial ecology covering microorganism roles in biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and metals, and how advances in genomics have transformed our understanding of microbial community diversity and function.
Toward Microbial Recycling and Upcycling of Plastics: Prospects and Challenges
This review examines the prospects and challenges of using microorganisms to recycle and upcycle plastic waste, assessing the current state of microbial degradation research across major polymer types. The authors identify metabolic engineering and synthetic biology as key tools needed to make biological plastic recycling economically viable at scale.
Synthetically engineered microbial scavengers for enhanced bioremediation
Synthetic biology approaches were reviewed for engineering microorganisms with enhanced bioremediation capabilities against pollutants including plastics, heavy metals, and organic contaminants, with the authors discussing strategies for improving enzyme efficiency, substrate range, and environmental fitness while addressing biosafety concerns about releasing engineered microbes into natural environments.
Beyond Traditional Bioremediation: The Potential of Engineered SynComs in Tackling Complex Environmental Pollutants
This systematic review explores how engineered communities of microorganisms — called synthetic microbial consortia — could be designed to break down stubborn environmental pollutants, including plastic-derived chemicals. Traditional bioremediation often struggles with complex contaminants, but these engineered approaches show promise for tackling persistent pollution. The technology could eventually help address microplastic contamination in soil and water.
The power of synthetic biology for bioproduction, remediation and pollution control
Researchers review how synthetic biology — engineering living organisms to perform new tasks — can help meet UN sustainability goals by creating eco-friendly products and cleaner production processes, offering new tools to tackle pollution and reduce industrial waste.
What is the micro- and nanoplastics impact on pathogenic microorganisms?
This perspective piece reviewed emerging evidence on how micro- and nanoplastics interact with pathogenic microorganisms, potentially enhancing pathogen survival, antibiotic resistance gene transfer, and virulence. The authors highlight the plastisphere as a habitat that may selectively enrich and amplify microbial pathogens.
Improving bacterial metagenomic research through long read sequencing
Not relevant to microplastics — this paper compares short-read and long-read DNA sequencing strategies for analyzing microbial communities (metagenomics), with no connection to plastic pollution.
Review of microplastic degradation: Understanding metagenomic approaches for microplastic degrading organisms
This review explores how metagenomics, the study of genetic material from environmental samples, is helping scientists identify microorganisms that can break down plastics. The paper covers the methods used to find and characterize plastic-degrading bacteria, as well as the environmental consequences of plastic degradation including health risks from inhaling and ingesting microplastics. While biological solutions to plastic pollution show promise, the review notes that more research is needed to develop effective, scalable approaches.
Exploring the Microbiome of the Marine Microplastisphere
This review examines the microbiome associated with microplastic particles in marine environments, known as the microplastisphere, describing it as a dynamic and complex ecosystem with significant ecological implications. Researchers found that the microplastisphere harbors distinct microbial communities distinct from surrounding seawater, with potential consequences for marine biodiversity and pollutant transport.
The “Microplastome” – A Holistic Perspective to Capture the Real-World Ecology of Microplastics
This paper introduces the concept of the "microplastome," a framework for studying microplastics along with everything attached to them, including absorbed chemicals and colonizing microbes, as a unified system. The authors argue that current research too often looks at microplastics in isolation, when in reality the attached pollutants and bacteria may be just as important for understanding health effects. This more complete approach could lead to better risk assessments of how microplastic pollution actually affects ecosystems and human health.
Synthetic biology tools for environmental protection
Researchers reviewed how synthetic biology — engineering microbes and plants with new genetic capabilities — is being applied to detect and remove environmental pollutants, from heavy metals to plastics to industrial chemicals. These genetically engineered "living sensors and cleaners" represent a promising frontier for addressing pollution that conventional treatment methods struggle to handle.
Applications of Synthetic Biology in Microbial and Enzymatic Systems for Microplastic Degradation: A Review
This review examines how synthetic biology is being used to enhance the biological breakdown of microplastics, covering advances in enzyme engineering, whole-cell engineering, and metabolic pathway design. Researchers have achieved significant improvements in plastic-degrading enzymes like PETase through directed evolution and machine learning, enabling depolymerization of consumer plastics under increasingly mild industrial conditions.
Unveiling the Potential of Metagenomics for Eradicating Microplastics from Drinking Water
This review discussed metagenomics as a tool for identifying and characterizing microbial communities capable of degrading microplastics in drinking water systems. The paper addressed challenges in detecting microplastics in drinking water and proposed metagenomics-guided approaches for developing sustainable biological remediation strategies.
Biotechnological advancements in microplastics degradation in drinking water: Current insights and Future perspectives
This review examines the growing concern of microplastics in drinking water and explores biotechnological approaches for breaking them down, including methods from metagenomics and synthetic biology. Researchers note that microplastics have been detected in tap water and various human samples, raising questions about long-term health effects. The study highlights that the wide variety of microplastic sizes and shapes makes detection and removal from liquid water samples particularly challenging.
Synthetic biology enables mushrooms to meet emerging sustainable challenges
This perspective paper discusses how synthetic biology can enhance mushroom cultivation and fermentation to address sustainability challenges, including applications in biodegradable materials and pollution cleanup. While not directly about microplastics, mushroom-based materials could serve as biodegradable alternatives to plastics, and engineered fungi may help break down existing plastic pollution. The research points toward biological solutions for reducing plastic waste in the environment.
Discovering untapped microbial communities through metagenomics for microplastic remediation: recent advances, challenges, and way forward
This review explores how metagenomic approaches are uncovering microbial communities capable of degrading microplastics in various environments. Researchers found that diverse bacteria and fungi in soil, water, and waste systems produce enzymes that can break down plastic polymers, though degradation rates remain slow. The study highlights metagenomics as a powerful tool for discovering new biological solutions to microplastic pollution.
A combined metagenomics and metatranscriptomics approach to assess the occurrence and reduction of pathogenic bacteria in municipal wastewater treatment plants
This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it uses metagenomics and metatranscriptomics to assess pathogenic bacteria, antibiotic-resistant genes, and mobile genetic elements in wastewater treatment plants in South Africa.
Microplastic Accumulation and Degradation in Environment via Biotechnological Approaches
This review examines how biotechnological approaches, including genetic engineering, genome editing, and synthetic biology, can enhance microbial degradation of plastics. Researchers found that while microplastics and nanoplastics are now found throughout the environment and even in food and the human body, improved methods for plastic biodegradation could help reduce their production. The study highlights the potential of engineered microorganisms as a strategy for addressing plastic waste accumulation.
Ecological risks in a ‘plastic’ world: A threat to biological diversity?
This review synthesized evidence on how microplastic pollution affects biological diversity and community structure across aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, finding that most studies document effects at the individual level but that community- and ecosystem-level impacts remain poorly characterized.
Omics Strategies Targeting Microbes with Microplastic Detection and Biodegradation Properties
This review examines how omics approaches — genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics — are being applied to identify and engineer microorganisms capable of detecting and degrading microplastics. The authors map progress in plastic-degrading microbial pathways and discuss how synthetic biology could accelerate the development of bioremediation solutions.
Novel functional insights into the microbiome inhabiting marine plastic debris: critical considerations to counteract the challenges of thin biofilms using multi-omics and comparative metaproteomics
Researchers used advanced multi-omics techniques — simultaneously analyzing the DNA, proteins, and metabolic activity of microbes — to study the complex communities of bacteria and other microorganisms that colonize marine plastic debris (the "plastisphere"). The work reveals new ecological functions of these microbial films beyond plastic breakdown, including potential biotechnology applications and risks from pathogen hitchhiking on ocean plastic.
Plastisphere - a new habitat of microbial community: Composition, structure and ecological consequences
This review examines the plastisphere — microbial communities colonizing microplastics — covering the composition and structure of plastisphere microbiomes across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments and discussing ecological consequences including pathogen dispersal.
New insights into the functioning and structure of the PE and PP plastispheres from the Mediterranean Sea
Researchers used metagenomics and metaproteomics to characterize the plastisphere — the microbial community colonizing marine plastic debris — on polyethylene and polypropylene fragments from the Mediterranean Sea, confirming it functions as a self-sufficient ecosystem while finding no evidence that hydrocarbon-degrading or pathogenic bacteria were actively breaking down the polymer or causing disease.