Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a commodity polymer known to globally contaminate marine and terrestrial environments. Today, around 80 bacterial and fungal PET-active enzymes (PETases) are known, originating from four bacterial and two fungal phyla. In contrast, no archaeal enzyme had been identified to degrade PET. Here we report on the structural and biochemical characterization of PET46 (RLI42440.1), an archaeal promiscuous feruloyl esterase exhibiting degradation activity on semi-crystalline PET powder comparable to IsPETase and LCC (wildtypes), and higher activity on bis-, and mono-(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET and MHET). The enzyme, found by a sequence-based metagenome search, is derived from a non-cultivated, deep-sea Candidatus Bathyarchaeota archaeon. Biochemical characterization demonstrated that PET46 is a promiscuous, heat-adapted hydrolase. Its crystal structure was solved at a resolution of 1.71 Å. It shares the core alpha/beta-hydrolase fold with bacterial PETases, but contains a unique lid common in feruloyl esterases, which is involved in substrate binding. Thus, our study widens the currently known diversity of PET-hydrolyzing enzymes, by demonstrating PET depolymerization by a plant cell wall-degrading esterase.
Source: Communications Chemistry
Authors: Pablo Perez-Garcia, Jennifer Chow, Elisa Costanzi, Marno Gurschke, Jonas Dittrich, Robert F. Dierkes, Rebecka Molitor, Violetta Applegate, Golo Feuerriegel, Prince Tete, Dominik Danso, Stephan Thies, Julia Schumacher, Christopher Pfleger, Karl-Erich Jaeger, Holger Gohlke, Sander H. J. Smits, Ruth A. Schmitz, Wolfgang R. Streit
Language: English
Subfield: Biotechnology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,590
Awards: G1274663259, Maßgeschneiderte Inhaltsstoffe 2 - Verbundvorhaben: 'Robuste und selektive lipolytische Biokatalysatoren für industrielle Anwendungen (LipoBiocat) - Teilprojekt B', G2902731320, G388773052, G434337789, ERA-NET Marine Biotechnologie: MarBioTech - Entwicklung einer Toolbox für die Erschließung der marinen Biodiversität nicht-kultivierter Mikroorganismen., Bioökonomie International 2016: MetagenLig - Hochdurchsatzsequenzierung metagenomischer Proben, bioinformatische Analyse der Sequenzdaten, Expression und Optimierung neuer Enzyme zum Abbau und zur Modifikation von Lignocellulose., G6607683866, Bioökonomie International 2016: MetagenLig - Hochdurchsatzsequenzierung metagenomischer Proben, bioinformatische Analyse der Sequenzdaten, Expression und Optimierung neuer Enzyme zum Abbau und zur Modifikation von Lignocellulose, G6987414454, Technologies of the Future for Low-Cost Enzymes for Environment-Friendly Products, Zentrum für strukturelle Studien, Maßgeschneiderte Inhaltsstoffe 2 - Verbundvorhaben: 'Robuste und selektive lipolytische Biokatalysatoren für industrielle Anwendungen (LipoBiocat) - Teilprojekt A', G7550833382
OpenAlex ID: W4386608256