Kohei Oda
Kyoto Institute of Technology, Japan
Title: A bacterium that degrades and assimilates poly (ethylene terephthalate) and its enzymes involved in the degradation
Biography
Biography: Kohei Oda
Abstract
Poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is used extensively worldwide in plastic products, and its accumulation in the environment has become a global concern. Because the ability to enzymatically degrade PET for microbial growth has been limited to a few fungal species, biodegradation is not yet a viable remediation or recycling strategy. By screening natural microbial communities exposed to PET in the environment, we isolated a novel bacterium, Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6 that is able to use PET as its major energy and carbon source. When grown on PET, this strain produces two enzymes capable of hydrolyzing PET and the reaction intermediate, mono(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalic acid (MHET). Both enzymes are required to enzymatically convert PET efficiently into its two environmentally benign monomers, terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol.
Figure 1: PET Degradation Systems