Special Colloquium: Decoding the Plastisphere: Ecological Insights and the Domestication of Marine Microbes for Plastic Degradation
durch
5-1.213 - PAZIFIK / PACIFIC- Rechte Seite - Großer, unterteilbarer Konferenzraum
GEOMAR - Standort Ostufer / GEOMAR - East Shore
Abstract:
Bioprospecting has the potential to identify plastic degrading organisms that can be used to help tackle the plastic pollution crisis. Microbes from extreme and/or plastic rich environments, like the deep-sea, may have evolved novel genes/pathways to degrade plastics as a nutrient source. To test the plastic degrading potential of the deep-sea, sterile plastics were incubated with water collected from the surface down to 8.000 m. Metagenomics and metatranscriptomics were performed on the resulting plastic biofilms, and sequencing data was analyzed using Sylph and VEBA. Metagenomics of all the water column samples identified thousands of different species of bacteria, archaea, viruses, and eukaryotes. The plastic biofilms, however, showed a dramatic decrease in biodiversity. Expressed proteins were compared to the Plastic Biodegradation database to create a list of potential plastic degrading enzymes. These genes are currently being cloned and tested in model laboratory organisms to verify activity. Engineered strains containing verified plastic degradation genes may eventually be used in recycling facilities to improve our recycling capabilities. This will help prevent more plastic from entering the ocean and reduce the ecological impacts on native microbiomes and wildlife.
RD2 Office
Silvana Gagliardi