Degradation of polypropylene by fungi Coniochaeta hoffmannii and Pleurostoma richardsiae

Porter, Rachel (author), Černoša, Anja (author), Fernández-Sanmartín, Paola (author), Martínez Cortizas, Antonio (author), Aranda, Elisabet (author), Luo, Yonglun (author), Zalar, Polona (author), Podlogar, Matejka (author), Gunde-Cimerman, Nina (author), Gostinčar, Cene (author)

The urgent need for better disposal and recycling of plastics has motivated a search for microbes with the ability to degrade synthetic polymers. While microbes capable of metabolizing polyurethane and polyethylene terephthalate have been discovered and even leveraged in enzymatic recycling approaches, microbial degradation of additive-free polypropylene (PP) remains elusive. Here we report the isolation and characterization of two fungal strains with the potential to degrade pure PP. Twenty-seven fungal strains, many isolated from hydrocarbon contaminated sites, were screened for degradation of commercially used textile plastic. Of the candidate strains, two identified as Coniochaeta hoffmannii and Pleurostoma richardsiae were found to colonize the plastic fibers using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Further experiments probing degradation of pure PP films were performed using C. hoffmannii and P. richardsiae and analyzed using SEM, Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR). The results showed that the selected fungi were active against pure PP, with distinct differences in the bonds targeted and the degree to which each was altered. Whole genome and transcriptome sequencing was conducted for both strains and the abundance of carbohydrate active enzymes, GC content, and codon usage bias were analyzed in predicted proteomes for each. Enzymatic assays were conducted to assess each strain’s ability to degrade naturally occurring compounds as well as synthetic polymers. These investigations revealed potential adaptations to hydrocarbon-rich environments and provide a foundation for further investigation of PP degrading activity in C. hoffmannii and P. richardsiae.

• Language: English
• Keywords: biodegradation, plastic, hydrocarbons, enzymes, genomes, spectroscopy, fungi
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: 18 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 277, art. 127507
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-153057
• UDC: 502:582.28
• ISSN on article: 1618-0623
• DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2023.127507
• COBISS.SI-ID: 166567683
• Publication date in RUL: 15.12.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Microbiological research
• Shortened title: Microbiol. res.
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1618-0623
• COBISS.SI-ID: 166562307

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: biorazgradnja, plastika, ogljikovodiki, encimi, genomi