Genetic Bioaugmentation-Mediated Bioremediation of Terephthalate in Soil Microcosms Using an Engineered Environmental Plasmid.

ABSTRACT: Harnessing in situ microbial communities to clean-up polluted natural environments is a potentially efficient means of bioremediation, but often the necessary genes to breakdown pollutants are missing. Genetic bioaugmentation, whereby the required genes are delivered to resident bacteria via horizontal gene transfer, offers a promising solution to this problem. Here, we engineered a conjugative plasmid previously isolated from soil, pQBR57, to carry a synthetic set of genes allowing bacteria to consume terephthalate, a chemical component of plastics commonly released during their manufacture and breakdown. Our engineered plasmid caused a low fitness cost and was stably maintained in terephthalate-contaminated soil by the bacterium P. putida. Plasmid carriers efficiently bioremediated conta

SUBMITTER: Marquiegui-Alvaro A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11725763 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature