Project description:Polyethylene pollutions are considered inert in nature and adversely affect the entire ecosystem. Larvae of greater wax moths (Galleria mellonella) have the ability to masticate and potentially biodegrade polyethylene films at elevated rates. The wax moth has been thought to metabolize PE independently of gut flora, however, the role of the microbiome is poorly understood and degradation by the wax moth might be involved. To determine whether the salivary glands of the wax moth were potentially involved in the PE degradation, it was investigated how surface changes of polyethylene were affected by mastication and consumption. Formation of pitting and degradation intermediates, including carbonyl groups, indicated that salivary glands could assist in polyethylene metabolism. We investigated the biochemical effect of exposure to PE on the composition of the salivary gland proteome. The expression of salivary proteins was found to be affected by PE exposure. The proteins that were significantly affected by the exposure to PE revealed that the wax moth is undergoing general changes in energy levels, and that enzymatic pathways associated with fatty acid beta oxidation were induced during PE consumption.
