Self-pigmenting textiles grown from cellulose-producing bacteria with engineered tyrosinase expression.

ABSTRACT: Environmental concerns are driving interest in postpetroleum synthetic textiles produced from microbial and fungal sources. Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a promising sustainable leather alternative, on account of its material properties, low infrastructure needs and biodegradability. However, for alternative textiles like BC to be fully sustainable, alternative ways to dye textiles need to be developed alongside alternative production methods. To address this, we genetically engineer Komagataeibacter rhaeticus to create a bacterial strain that grows self-pigmenting BC. Melanin biosynthesis in the bacteria from recombinant tyrosinase expression achieves dark black coloration robust to material use. Melanated BC production can be scaled up for the construction of prototype fashion products, an

SUBMITTER: Walker KT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11919691 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature