Polyvinyl chloride degradation by a bacterium isolated from the gut of insect larvae

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32903-y
• Publication Date: 2022-09-12T17:03:21Z
• Authors: Zhe Zhang; Haoran Peng; Dongchen Yang; Guoqing Zhang; Jinlin Zhang; Feng Ju
• Keywords: Exigua

Abstract Evidence for microbial degradation of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has previously been reported, but little is known about the degrading strains and enzymes. Here, we isolate a PVC-degrading bacterium from gut insect larvae shed light on PVC pathway using multi-omic approach. We show that an pest, Spodoptera frugiperda , can survive by feeding film, this associated with enrichment Enterococcus Klebsiella other bacteria in larva’s microbiota. A bacterial strain isolated larval intestine ( sp. EMBL-1) able to depolymerize utilize as sole energy source. use genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic analyses identify genes proteins potentially involved (e.g., catalase-peroxidase, dehalogenases, enolase, aldehyde dehydrogenase oxygenase), propose biodegradation pathway. Furthermore, enzymatic assays purified catalase-peroxidase support role depolymerization.