Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Plastic pollution is becoming a major health issue due to the recent discovery of microplastics and nanoplastics in living organisms and the environment, calling for advanced technologies to remove plastic waste. Here we review enzymes that degrade plastics with focus on plastic properties, protein engineering and polymers such as poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate), poly(lactic acid), polyamide and polyurethane. The mechanism of action of natural and engineered enzymes has been probed by experimental and computation approaches. The performance of polyester-degrading enzymes has been improved via directed evolution, structure-guided rational design and machine learning-aided strategies. The improved enzymes display higher stability at elevated temperatures, and tailored substrate-binding sites.
Source: Environmental Chemistry Letters
Authors: Rey-Ting Guo, Xian Li, Yu Yang, Jian-Wen Huang, Panpan Shen, Rock Keey Liew, Chun-Chi Chen
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,990
OpenAlex ID: W4392559633