biostudies-literatureRen LLei RenYangyan WangYanyan Wang8141https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12428281biostudies-literatureUnknown26(17)Phthalic acid esters (PAEs), ubiquitously employed as a plasticizer, have been classified as priority environmental pollutants because of their persistence, bioaccumulation, and endocrine-disrupting properties. As a characterized PAE-degrading strain of marine origin, <i>Mycolicibacterium phocaicum</i> RL-HY01 utilizes di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) as its sole carbon and energy source. Genome sequencing and RT-qPCR analysis revealed a previously uncharacterized hydrolase gene (<i>dehpH</i>) in strain RL-HY01, which catalyzes ester bond cleavage in PAEs. Subsequently, recombinant expression of the cloned <i>dehpH</i> gene from strain RL-HY01 was established in <i>Escherichia coli</i> BL21(DE3). The purified recombinant DehpH exhibited optimal activity at 30 °C and pH 8.0. Its activity International journal of molecular sciencesIdentification and Characterization of a Novel Di-(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate Hydrolase from a Marine Bacterial Strain &lt;i&gt;Mycolicibacterium phocaicum&lt;/i&gt; RL-HY01.PMC12428281College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences Distinguished Young Program (BH2025JCQN003)Special Innovation Projects of Universities in Guangdong Province (2023KTSCX043)Non-funded Projects of Zhanjiang City (2024B01096)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31800109 and 32271702)Program for Scientific Research start-up Funds of Guangdong Ocean University (060302052312)Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center of Tropical Crops High-efficient Production (C16064)Graduate Education Innovation Program of Guangdong Ocean University (202402)Shi MRen LZhou JLKuang CHu HXu DWang HWang YfalseIdentification and Characterization of a Novel Di-(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate Hydrolase from a Marine Bacterial Strain &lt;i&gt;Mycolicibacterium phocaicum&lt;/i&gt; RL-HY01.Phthalic acid esters (PAEs), ubiquitously employed as a plasticizer, have been classified as priority environmental pollutants because of their persistence, bioaccumulation, and endocrine-disrupting properties. As a characterized PAE-degrading strain of marine origin, <i>Mycolicibacterium phocaicum</i> RL-HY01 utilizes di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) as its sole carbon and energy source. Genome sequencing and RT-qPCR analysis revealed a previously uncharacterized hydrolase gene (<i>dehpH</i>) in strain RL-HY01, which catalyzes ester bond cleavage in PAEs. Subsequently, recombinant expression of the cloned <i>dehpH</i> gene from strain RL-HY01 was established in <i>Escherichia coli</i> BL21(DE3). The purified recombinant DehpH exhibited optimal activity at 30 °C and pH 8.0. Its activity 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Aug2026-04-08T18:35:16.821Z2026-04-08T09:57:05.097ZS-EPMC124282814094306510.3390/ijms26178141