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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Assembly strategies for polyethylene-degrading microbial consortia based on the combination of omics tools and the "Plastisphere".
ClearConstruction and degradation characteristics of high-efficiency polyethylene degrading composite microbial community
Researchers engineered a high-efficiency polyethylene-degrading microbial consortium and characterized its degradation pathways and kinetics, finding substantial mass loss and chemical modification of polyethylene under optimized conditions. The consortium outperformed previously described single-species degraders, advancing the development of biological solutions for hard-to-recycle plastic waste.
A multi-OMIC characterisation of biodegradation and microbial community succession within the PET plastisphere
Researchers performed a multi-omic analysis of bacterial communities colonizing PET plastic in marine environments, identifying microorganisms capable of degrading PET and characterizing the enzymatic pathways involved, advancing understanding of natural plastic biodegradation in ocean systems.
Microbial plastic degradation: enzymes, pathways, challenges, and perspectives.
This review synthesizes current knowledge on microbial plastic degradation, covering the enzymes and metabolic pathways involved in breaking down major synthetic polymers, the challenges limiting efficient biodegradation, and perspectives for engineering improved microbial solutions to plastic waste.
Microbial Consortia and Mixed Plastic Waste: Pangenomic Analysis Reveals Potential for Degradation of Multiple Plastic Types via Previously Identified PET Degrading Bacteria
Researchers used pangenomic and transcriptomic analysis of a five-bacterium PET-degrading consortium to identify over 200 plastic and plasticizer degradation-related genes, including a novel PETase enzyme EstB. The diverse carbon utilization capacity and active transcription of PET monomer metabolism genes suggest the consortium has potential for degrading mixed plastic waste.
Plastisphere community assemblage of aquatic environment: plastic-microbe interaction, role in degradation and characterization technologies
This review examines the plastisphere—microbial communities colonizing plastic surfaces in aquatic environments—covering how these biofilms form, their role in plastic biodegradation, and current characterization technologies for studying plastic-microbe interactions.
Shotgun Metagenomic insights into the Plastisphere microbiome: Unveiling potential for clinical and industrial enzymes production along with plastic degradation
Researchers used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to analyze microbial communities (plastisphere) colonizing plastic debris in soil and aquatic environments, finding that 54% of bacteria had plastic-degrading potential and that the plastisphere also harbored clinically relevant and industrially useful enzymes. The findings suggest the plastisphere is a reservoir of both plastic-degrading and biotechnologically valuable microorganisms.
A polyethylene surrogate for microbial community enrichment and characterization
Researchers developed a method to enrich and characterize microbial communities capable of biodegrading a polyethylene surrogate, enabling study of potential polyethylene degradation over much shorter timescales than direct polyethylene experiments would allow, and using the approach to isolate several candidate degrading microbial communities.
Knowledge and Opportunities from the Plastisphere: A Prelude for the Search of Plastic Degrading Bacteria on Coastal Environments
This mini-review surveys the scientific literature on plastic-degrading bacteria found in coastal environments, examining which microbial strains have shown biodegradation activity and what conditions favor this. The 'plastisphere' — the microbial community that colonizes plastic surfaces in the ocean — includes some bacteria capable of breaking down plastic polymers. The review identifies priority areas for developing microbial solutions to coastal plastic pollution.
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.
Plastic-Degrading Microbial Consortia from a Wastewater Treatment Plant
Researchers isolated bacteria from a wastewater treatment plant that can break down common plastics including polyethylene and polystyrene, some of the hardest plastics to recycle. The microbial communities worked together to degrade the plastics more effectively than individual bacterial strains. While biological plastic degradation is still slow compared to the scale of pollution, identifying these bacteria is a step toward developing biotechnology solutions for plastic waste cleanup.
Investigating the roles of microbes in biodegrading or colonizing microplastic surfaces
Researchers investigated the roles of microbes in biodegrading or colonizing microplastic surfaces, examining how microbial communities interact with plastic polymers in environmental settings. The study characterized the 'plastisphere' — the community of microorganisms that colonize microplastic surfaces — and assessed the extent to which microbial activity contributes to plastic degradation in natural environments.
Microbial Consortia and Mixed Plastic Waste: Pangenomic Analysis Reveals Potential for Degradation of Multiple Plastic Types via Previously Identified PET Degrading Bacteria
Researchers used pangenomic and transcriptomic analysis of a previously identified five-member bacterial consortium capable of degrading PET to search for broader plastic degradation potential. The analysis revealed over 200 plastic and plasticizer degradation-related genes, including a novel PETase (EstB), suggesting the consortium can potentially degrade multiple plastic types beyond PET.
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.
Putative degraders of low‐density polyethylene‐derived compounds are ubiquitous members of plastic‐associated bacterial communities in the marine environment
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.
Large-scale omics dataset of polymer degradation provides robust interpretation for microbial niche and succession on different plastisphere
Researchers generated a large-scale microbiome and metabolome dataset from five biodegradable polymer types, revealing that microbial communities converge to polymer-specific compositions during degradation and follow distinct succession stages from initial colonization through biofilm formation.
Plastisphere microbiome: Methodology, diversity, and functionality
This review explores the plastisphere, the community of microorganisms that colonize plastic debris in the environment. The authors cover methods for studying these microbial communities, the diversity of organisms found living on plastics, and their functional roles including potential plastic degradation and pathogen harboring. Understanding the plastisphere is important because these microbial communities can influence how plastics break down and what health risks plastic pollution may pose.
Review on plastic wastes in marine environment – Biodegradation and biotechnological solutions
Researchers reviewed plastic biodegradation in the marine environment, cataloguing microbial communities that colonize plastic surfaces and the enzymes they produce, while highlighting biotechnological strategies — including enzyme engineering and biofilm optimization — as necessary complements to physical and chemical approaches for reducing micro- and nanoplastic contamination.
Marine Microbial Assemblages on Microplastics: Diversity, Adaptation, and Role in Degradation
This review examines microbial communities that colonize microplastics in the ocean, collectively known as the plastisphere. Researchers found that these biofilms differ significantly from those on natural surfaces and may include pathogenic bacteria and species capable of partially degrading plastics. The study highlights both the ecological risks of microplastics as vectors for harmful microbes and the potential for harnessing plastic-degrading organisms.
Comparative Genomics of Marine Bacteria from a Historically Defined Plastic Biodegradation Consortium with the Capacity to Biodegrade Polyhydroxyalkanoates
Researchers conducted comparative genomics of marine bacteria from a plastic biodegradation consortium, finding that multiple strains had the genomic capacity to biodegrade polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastics, with implications for understanding microbial degradation of biodegradable plastic alternatives.
The plastisphere in marine ecosystem hosts potential specific microbial degraders including Alcanivorax borkumensis as a key player for the low-density polyethylene degradation
Researchers found that ocean-floating plastics host unique communities of bacteria — called the "plastisphere" — that differ significantly from those in seafloor sediments, with the bacterium Alcanivorax borkumensis shown for the first time to form thick biofilms on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic and begin breaking it down, pointing toward potential biological tools for plastic degradation.
Breaking down the plastics paradox: polymer degrading microorganisms
This review examines microorganisms capable of degrading plastics, cataloging the bacteria and fungi discovered to break down common polymers like polyethylene, polystyrene, and PET. Identifying and harnessing plastic-degrading microbes could provide biological solutions to the accumulation of microplastics in the environment.
Microorganisms: Promising approach to quench plastic pollution
This review surveys the range of bacteria and fungi — including Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and several fungal phyla — that are capable of degrading plastics including polyethylene, the world's most produced plastic. Microbial biodegradation is presented as a promising complement to physical and chemical recycling methods, with the potential to address plastic pollution already dispersed in the environment. Harnessing these organisms could eventually provide biological tools to break down plastic waste that has entered soils, waterways, and the ocean.
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.
Microplastics as a New Ecological Niche For Multispecies Microbial Biofilms within the Plastisphere
This review examines microplastics as a novel ecological niche — the 'plastisphere' — analyzing how multispecies microbial biofilms colonize plastic surfaces, differ from surrounding environmental communities, and may facilitate biodegradation and horizontal gene transfer.