Publicação
Construction and optimization of a PET plastics-degrading Escherichia coli strain
| Resumo: | Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is a widely used plastic polymer valued for its high durability and strength; however, it is also a significant and concerning contributor to plastic waste pollution. Enzymatic PET degradation has recently emerged as a promising sustainable solution for this problem, notably via two enzymes produced by Ideonella sakaiensis: PETase breaks down PET into mono(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalic acid (MHET), terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG), and MHETase further breaks down MHET into TPA and EG. The latter two monomers, TPA and EG, are then taken up and assimilated by the bacterium as carbon and energy sources. Since I. sakaiensis is not easily genetically engineered and knowledge of its physiology and metabolism remains limited, this inspired us to transfer its key functions into the well-characterized industrial Escherichia coli—shifting from observing nature to engineering a synthetic solution. Accordingly, this thesis aims to develop and validate the key modules required to engineer an efficient E. coli-based platform for PET depolymerization and the subsequent assimilation of the resulting monomers. |
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| Autores principais: | Balola, Alexandra Sofia Matoso |
| Assunto: | Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Escherichia coli PET plastics-degrading |
| Ano: | 2026 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | tese de doutoramento |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso embargado |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade Nova de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório Institucional da UNL |
| Resumo: | Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is a widely used plastic polymer valued for its high durability and strength; however, it is also a significant and concerning contributor to plastic waste pollution. Enzymatic PET degradation has recently emerged as a promising sustainable solution for this problem, notably via two enzymes produced by Ideonella sakaiensis: PETase breaks down PET into mono(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalic acid (MHET), terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG), and MHETase further breaks down MHET into TPA and EG. The latter two monomers, TPA and EG, are then taken up and assimilated by the bacterium as carbon and energy sources. Since I. sakaiensis is not easily genetically engineered and knowledge of its physiology and metabolism remains limited, this inspired us to transfer its key functions into the well-characterized industrial Escherichia coli—shifting from observing nature to engineering a synthetic solution. Accordingly, this thesis aims to develop and validate the key modules required to engineer an efficient E. coli-based platform for PET depolymerization and the subsequent assimilation of the resulting monomers. |
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