image: A model of the chimeric MHETase:PETase enzyme (red and blue, respectively). view more
Credit: Image credit: Aaron McGeehan (artist).
Degradation of the plastic pollutant PET can be achieved using the bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis and its enzyme PETase, which acts on solid plastic surfaces, as well as a second enzyme, MHETase, which further breaks down the soluble intermediate product, MHET, into PET monomers; researchers report how the two enzymes work synergistically to depolymerize PET and engineered a chimeric enzyme, linking MHETase and PETase, to impart enhanced activity, compared with the naturally evolved two-enzyme system.
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Article #20-06753: "Characterization and engineering of a two-enzyme system for plastics depolymerization," by Brandon C. Knott, Erika Erickson, Mark D. Allen, Japheth E. Gado, et al.
MEDIA CONTACTS: John E. McGeehan, University of Portsmouth, UNITED KINGDOM; e-mail: <john.mcgeehan@port.ac.uk>; Gregg T. Beckham, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden CO; e-mail: <gregg.beckham@nrel.gov>
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences