Review on the current status of polymer degradation: a microbial approach

Pathak, Vinay Mohan; Bithel, Navneet

doi:10.1186/s40643-017-0145-9

Cited by 564 publications

(269 citation statements)

References 227 publications

(382 reference statements)

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“…Streptomyces sp. belongs to class Actinobacteria and have demonstrated polymer degrading capabilities (47). However, because we did not observe differences in the relative abundance of this taxa between BDMs, PE or no mulch control, this increase is likely attributable to the agronomic management of the plots (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural and Functional Responses of Soil Microbial Communities to Biodegradable Plastic Film Mulching in Two Agroecosystems

Bandopadhyay

Sintim

DeBruyn

2019

Preprint

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18Polyethylene (PE) plastic mulch films are used globally in crop production but incur considerable 19 disposal and environmental pollution issues. Biodegradable plastic mulch films (BDMs), an 20 alternative to PE-based films, are designed to be tilled into the soil where they are expected to be 21 mineralized to carbon dioxide, water and microbial biomass. However inadequate research 22 regarding the impacts of repeated incorporation of BDMs on soil microbial communities has partly 23 contributed to limited adoption of BDMs. In this study, we evaluated the effects of BDM 24 incorporation on soil microbial community structure and function over two years in two 25 geographical locations: Knoxville, TN, and in Mount Vernon, WA. Treatments included four 26 plastic BDMs, a completely biodegradable cellulose mulch, a non-biodegradable PE mulch and a 27 no mulch plot. Bacterial community structure determined using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing 28 revealed significant differences by location and season. Differences in bacterial communities by 29 mulch treatment were not significant for any season in either location, except for Fall 2015 in WA 30 where differences were observed between BDMs and no-mulch plots. Extracellular enzyme rate 31 assays were used to characterize communities functionally, revealing significant differences by 32 location and sampling season in both TN and WA but minimal differences between BDMs and PE 33 treatments. Limited effects of BDM incorporation on soil bacterial community structure and soil 34 enzyme activities when compared to PE suggest that BDMs have comparable influences on soil 35 microbial communities, and therefore could be considered an alternative to PE. 36 Importance 37 Plastic film mulches increase crop yields and improve fruit quality. Most plastic mulches are made 38 of polyethylene (PE), which is poorly degradable, resulting in undesirable end-of-life outcomes. 39 Biodegradable mulches (BDMs) may be a sustainable alternative to PE. BDMs are made of 40 3 polymers which can be degraded by soil microbial enzymes, and are meant to be tilled into soil 41 after use. However, uncertainty about impacts of tilled-in BDMs on soil health has restricted 42 adoption of BDMs. Our previous research showed BDMs did not have a major effect on a wide 43 range of soil quality indicators (Sintim et al. 2019); here we focus on soil microbial communities, 44 showing that BDMs do not have detectable effects on soil microbial communities and their 45 functions, at least over the short term. This informs growers and regulators about use of BDMs in 46 crop production, paving a way for an agricultural practice that reduces environmental plastic 47 pollution.48

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural and Functional Responses of Soil Microbial Communities to Biodegradable Plastic Film Mulching in Two Agroecosystems

Bandopadhyay

Sintim

DeBruyn

2019

Preprint

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“…Saprophytic fungi like Aspergillus and Pencillum have been reported to degrade chlorocyclohexane (Maqbool et al 2016). Besides, Trametes, Aspergillus and Penicillium have been reported for their ability to degrade dioxin (Chang 2008; Deshmukh et al 2016; Pathak and Navneet 2017). Interestingly, degradation of dioxin appeared to be limited to the G15Y and G15S only and were not carried downstream of the confluence, suggesting momentary effect of Yamuna River only on the confluence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fungal communities (Mycobiome) as potential ecological indicators within confluence stretch of Ganges and Yamuna Rivers, India

Samson

Rajput

Shah

et al. 2019

Preprint

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38River confluences are a hub of biodiversity with limited information with respect to the structure and the 39 functions of the microbial communities. The 'River Ganges' is the national river of India, having manifold 40 significance such as social, mythological, historic, geographic and agro-economic. It forms a sacred confluence 41 (known as Triveni Sangam) with River Yamuna at Prayagraj, India. Recent reports indicated the presence of fecal 42 coliform bacteria, an indicator recognized for water contamination in Ganges River leading to pollution. However, 43Fungi are also gaining attention as potential biological indicators of the trophic status of some rivers globally, but 44 remain under-explored in terms of diversity, ecology and functional aspects. We performed whole long read, 45 metagenome sequencing (MinION) of the sediment samples collected in December 2017 from confluence zone of 46 Ganges and Yamuna Rivers spanning the pre-confluence, confluence and post-confluence zones. Mycobiome reads 47 revealed a plethora of fungal communities, extending from saprophytes, endoparasites and edible fungi, to human 48 pathogens, plant pathogens and toxin producers. The fungal genera recognized as bio-indicators of river pollution 49 (Aspergillus, Penicillium) and eutrophication (Kluveromyces, Lodderomyces, and Nakaseomyces), were present in 50 all samples. Functional gene analyses of myco-communities uncovered hits for neurodegenerative diseases and 51 xenobiotic degradation potential, supporting bio-indicators of pollution. This study forms a foundational basis for 52 understanding the impact of various anthropogenic activities on the mycobiome, as a bio-indicator of pollution 53 across the confluence of Ganges and Yamuna Rivers and post-confluence of River Ganges, and could be useful in 54 mitigating strategies for cleaning strategies of the Ganges River.55

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“…Cutinase belongs to the carboxylesterase family and is a serine hydrolase‐type enzyme, which has a catalytic triad with Ser, His, and Asp . Several cutinases have been able to degrade polyester‐type plastics (aromatic and aliphatic) including polylactic acid (PLA) targeted in this study . PLA is constructed by a main chain, –O–Cα–C(=O)– (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural insights into the unique polylactate‐degrading mechanism of Thermobifida alba cutinase

et al. 2019

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Cutinases are enzymes known to degrade polyester‐type plastics. Est119, a plastic‐degrading type of cutinase from Thermobifida alba AHK119 (herein called Ta_cut), shows a broad substrate specificity toward polyesters, and can degrade substrates including polylactic acid (PLA). However, the PLA‐degrading mechanism of cutinases is still poorly understood. Here, we report the structure complexes of cutinase with ethyl lactate (EL), the constitutional unit. From this complex structure, the electron density maps clearly showed one lactate (LAC) and one EL occupying different positions in the active site cleft. The binding mode of EL is assumed to show a figure prior to reaction and LAC is an after‐reaction product. These complex structures demonstrate the role of active site residues in the esterase reaction and substrate recognition. The complex structures were compared with other documented complex structures of cutinases and with the structure of PETase from Ideonella sakaiensis. The amino acid residues involved in substrate interaction are highly conserved among these enzymes. Thus, mapping the precise interactions in the Ta_cut and EL complex will pave the way for understanding the plastic‐degrading mechanism of cutinases and suggest ways of creating more potent enzymes by structural protein engineering.

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Review on the current status of polymer degradation: a microbial approach

Cited by 564 publications

References 227 publications

Structural and Functional Responses of Soil Microbial Communities to Biodegradable Plastic Film Mulching in Two Agroecosystems

Structural and Functional Responses of Soil Microbial Communities to Biodegradable Plastic Film Mulching in Two Agroecosystems

Fungal communities (Mycobiome) as potential ecological indicators within confluence stretch of Ganges and Yamuna Rivers, India

Structural insights into the unique polylactate‐degrading mechanism of Thermobifida alba cutinase

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