RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A marine fungus efficiently degrades polyethylene
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2021.11.19.469330
DO 10.1101/2021.11.19.469330
A1 Gao, Rongrong
A1 Liu, Rui
A1 Sun, Chaomin
YR 2021
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/11/19/2021.11.19.469330.abstract
AB Plastics pollution has been a global concern. Huge quantities of polyethylene (PE), the most abundant and refractory plastic in the world, have been accumulating in the environment causing serious ecological problems. However, the paucity of microorganisms and enzymes that efficiently degrading PE seriously impedes the development of bio-products to eliminate this environmental pollution. Here, by screening hundreds of plastic waste-associated samples, we isolated a fungus (named Alternaria sp. FB1) that possessing a prominent capability of colonizing, degrading and utilizing PE. Strikingly, the molecular weight of PE film decreased 95% after the fungal treatment. Using GC-MS, we further clarified that a four-carbon product (named Diglycolamine) accounted for 93.28% of all degradation products after the treatment by strain FB1. We defined potential enzymes that involved in the degradation of PE through a transcriptomic method. The degradation capabilities of two representative enzymes including a laccase and a peroxidase were verified. Lastly, a complete biodegradation process of PE is proposed. Our study provides a compelling candidate for further investigation of degradation mechanisms and development of biodegradation products of PE.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.