Beyond oil degradation: enzymatic potential of Alcanivorax to degrade natural and synthetic polyesters.

ABSTRACT: Pristine marine environments are highly oligotrophic ecosystems populated by well-established specialized microbial communities. Nevertheless, during oil spills, low-abundant hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria bloom and rapidly prevail over the marine microbiota. The genus Alcanivorax is one of the most abundant and well-studied organisms for oil degradation. While highly successful under polluted conditions due to its specialized oil-degrading metabolism, it is unknown how they persist in these environments during pristine conditions. Here, we show that part of the Alcanivorax genus, as well as oils, has an enormous potential for biodegrading aliphatic polyesters thanks to a unique and abundantly secreted alpha/beta hydrolase. The heterologous overexpression of this esterase proved a remarkable

SUBMITTER: Zadjelovic V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7187450 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature