Phylogenetic Distribution of Plastic-Degrading Microorganisms.

ABSTRACT: The number of plastic-degrading microorganisms reported is rapidly increasing, making it possible to explore the conservation and distribution of presumed plastic-degrading traits across the diverse microbial tree of life. Putative degraders of conventional high-molecular-weight polymers, including polyamide, polystyrene, polyvinylchloride, and polypropylene, are spread widely across bacterial and fungal branches of the tree of life, although evidence for plastic degradation by a majority of these taxa appears limited. In contrast, we found strong degradation evidence for the synthetic polymer polylactic acid (PLA), and the microbial species related to its degradation are phylogenetically conserved among the bacterial family Pseudonocardiaceae We collated data on genes and enzymes r

SUBMITTER: Gambarini V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7820669 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature