Generación de una cepa de Escherichia coli capaz de degradar microplástico de Tereftalato de polietileno

Abstract

Plastic pollution is increasing every moment on our planet. The excessive consumption of plastic products across various industries promotes the release of these materials into environmental matrices, where plastics, through chemical and physical processes, break down into micro- and nanoplastics. These particles can enter and disrupt human and animal biological systems, as well as the broader ecosystem. To prevent dangerous accumulation of plastic waste, biodegradation by bacteria is a viable solution that occurs naturally. Modifying enzymes capable of using plastic as a substrate to obtain carbon emerges as a feasible option for degrading plastics into products with low or no environmental impact. This study aimed to design an E. coli strain capable of degrading microparticles of a synthetic polymer (PET) using two enzymes, FastPETase and MHETase, while also deploying a carbohydrate-binding module (BaCBM2) with affinity for PET to accelerate plastic degradation. The recombinant bacteria were successfully designed to express the enzymes and BaCBM2. Additionally, adhesion to PET was demonstrated through a qualitative fluorescence analysis of PET discs incubated with the E. coli strain EcM1-pNVgfp-BaCBM2 strain. This strain exhibited the highest fluorescence emission, which is attributed to BaCBM2 binding to PET.