Polystyrene-colonizing bacteria are enriched for long-chain alkane degradation pathways.

ABSTRACT: One of the most promising strategies for the management of plastic waste is microbial biodegradation, but efficient degraders for many types of plastics are still lacking, including those for polystyrene (PS). Genomics has emerged as a powerful tool for mining environmental microbes that may have the ability to degrade different types of plastics. In this study, we use 16S rRNA sequencing to analyze the microbiomes for multiple PS samples collected from sites with different vegetation in Taiwan to reveal potential common properties between species that exhibit growth advantages on PS surfaces. Phylum enrichment analysis identified Cyanobacteria and Deinococcus-Thermus as being the most over-represented groups on PS, and both phyla include species known to reside in extreme environments and

SUBMITTER: Hsueh SW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10547174 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature