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39 Results Found

  • Communication
  • Open Access
1 Citations
2,693 Views
11 Pages

Improving the Catalytic Activity and Thermostability of FAST-PETase with a Multifunctional Short Peptide

  • Jun Yang,
  • Binyang Deng,
  • Pingan Liao,
  • Siyu Lin,
  • Liqi Zheng,
  • Xing Yang,
  • Fei Wang,
  • Chao Zhai and
  • Lixin Ma

18 June 2025

Previous reports indicated that self-assembling amphipathic peptide S1v1 (AEAEAHAH)2 significantly enhances the soluble expression, thermostability, and activity of the target proteins when fused to them. In order to obtain high-efficiency enzymes fo...

  • Article
  • Open Access
46 Citations
27,165 Views
15 Pages

Degradation of PET Bottles by an Engineered Ideonella sakaiensis PETase

  • Maria Eduarda Sevilla,
  • Mario D. Garcia,
  • Yunierkis Perez-Castillo,
  • Vinicio Armijos-Jaramillo,
  • Santiago Casado,
  • Karla Vizuete,
  • Alexis Debut and
  • Liliana Cerda-Mejía

3 April 2023

Extensive plastic production has become a serious environmental and health problem due to the lack of efficient treatment of plastic waste. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most used polymers and is accumulating in landfills or elsewher...

  • Article
  • Open Access
11 Citations
6,468 Views
16 Pages

Assessment of IsPETase-Assisted Depolymerization of Terephthalate Aromatic Polyesters and the Effect of the Thioredoxin Fusion Domain

  • Paula Wagner-Egea,
  • Virginia Tosi,
  • Ping Wang,
  • Carl Grey,
  • Baozhong Zhang and
  • Javier A. Linares-Pastén

8 September 2021

Terephthalate polyesters such as poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) have been massively produced over the last few decades due to their attractive properties in multiple applications. However, due to their limited biodegradability, they have accumula...

  • Review
  • Open Access
1 Citations
2,496 Views
18 Pages

Engineering IsPETase and Its Homologues: Advances in Enzyme Discovery and Host Optimisation

  • Tolu Sunday Ogunlusi,
  • Sylvester Sapele Ikoyo,
  • Mohammad Dadashipour and
  • Hong Gao

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) pollution represents a significant environmental challenge due to its widespread use and recalcitrant nature. PET-degrading enzymes, particularly Ideonella sakaiensis PETases (IsPETase), have emerged as promising bioc...

  • Article
  • Open Access
10 Citations
3,568 Views
12 Pages

17 April 2023

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most prevalent transparent thermoplastics. It is commonly utilized due to its low cost and high durability. With the massive accumulation of waste PET, however, serious environmental pollution has become...

  • Feature Paper
  • Review
  • Open Access
12 Citations
9,108 Views
36 Pages

4 February 2025

Protein engineering has emerged as a transformative field in industrial biotechnology, enabling the optimization of enzymes to meet stringent industrial demands for stability, specificity, and efficiency. This review explores the principles and metho...

  • Article
  • Open Access
26 Citations
7,076 Views
11 Pages

10 November 2021

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the most widely used polyester plastic, with applications in the textile and packaging industry. Currently, re-moulding is the main path for PET recycling, but this eventually leads to an unsustainable loss of qual...

  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
2,763 Views
18 Pages

17 March 2024

PETase exhibits a high degradation activity for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic under moderate temperatures. However, the effect of non-active site residues in the second shell of PETase on the catalytic performance remains unclear. Herein,...

  • Article
  • Open Access
16 Citations
5,769 Views
20 Pages

The accumulation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) seriously harms the environment because of its high resistance to degradation. The recent discovery of the bacteria-secreted biodegradation enzyme, PETase, sheds light on PET recycling; however, th...

  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
4,832 Views
15 Pages

Surface Interaction of Ionic Liquids: Stabilization of Polyethylene Terephthalate-Degrading Enzymes in Solution

  • Zeenat Zara,
  • Deepti Mishra,
  • Saurabh Kumar Pandey,
  • Eva Csefalvay,
  • Fatemeh Fadaei,
  • Babak Minofar and
  • David Řeha

26 December 2021

The effect of aqueous solutions of selected ionic liquids solutions on Ideonella sakaiensis PETase with bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) substrate were studied by means of molecular dynamics simulations in order to identify the possible effec...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
1,982 Views
11 Pages

Life Cycle Plasticity in Typhula and Pistillaria in the Arctic and the Temperate Zone

  • Tamotsu Hoshino,
  • Yuka Yajima,
  • Yosuke Degawa,
  • Atsushi Kume,
  • Oleg B. Tkachenko and
  • Naoyuki Matsumoto

Typhulaceae Jülich is one of the cold-adapted fungal families in basidiomycetes. The representative genera, Typhula (Pers.) Fr. and Pistillaria Fr., are distinguished by the discontinuity between stems and hymenia in the former and the continuity in...

  • Article
  • Open Access
15 Citations
4,540 Views
13 Pages

Impact of Enzymatic Degradation on the Material Properties of Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate)

  • Teresa Menzel,
  • Sebastian Weigert,
  • Andreas Gagsteiger,
  • Yannik Eich,
  • Sebastian Sittl,
  • Georg Papastavrou,
  • Holger Ruckdäschel,
  • Volker Altstädt and
  • Birte Höcker

10 November 2021

With macroscopic litter and its degradation into secondary microplastic as a major source of environmental pollution, one key challenge is understanding the pathways from macro- to microplastic by abiotic and biotic environmental impact. So far, litt...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
3,570 Views
14 Pages

Marine PET Hydrolase (PET2): Assessment of Terephthalate- and Indole-Based Polyester Depolymerization

  • Paula Wagner-Egea,
  • Lucía Aristizábal-Lanza,
  • Cecilia Tullberg,
  • Ping Wang,
  • Katja Bernfur,
  • Carl Grey,
  • Baozhong Zhang and
  • Javier A. Linares-Pastén

24 August 2023

Enzymatic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling processes are gaining interest for their low environmental impact, use of mild conditions, and specificity. Furthermore, PET hydrolase enzymes are continuously being discovered and engineered. In t...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,973 Views
16 Pages

Selection of Putative Polyester Hydrolases from the Metagenome of Los Humeros Geothermal Field by Means of In Silico Probes

  • Rocio Solis-Palacios,
  • Graciela Espinosa-Luna,
  • Carolina Peña-Montes,
  • Rodolfo Quintana-Castro,
  • María Guadalupe Sánchez-Otero and
  • Rosa María Oliart-Ros

14 June 2024

Hydrolases are the most popular enzymes, and among the most valuable in biotechnological applications. Some hydrolases, such as lipases, esterases, proteases, cellulases and amylases, are used in the food industry and the production of biopharmaceuti...

  • Article
  • Open Access
16 Citations
4,527 Views
18 Pages

β-Sitosterol glucoside (SG), isolated from Senecio petasitis (Family Asteraceae), was loaded in self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) in a trial to enhance its solubility and biological effect. Various co-surfactants were tested to...

  • Review
  • Open Access
1,264 Views
35 Pages

Esterases are ubiquitous enzymes found in all living organisms, including animals, plants, and microorganisms. They are involved in several biological processes, including the synthesis and breakdown of biomolecules, such as nucleic acids, lipids, an...

  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
3,638 Views
13 Pages

Biochemical Characterisation of Sis: A Distinct Thermophilic PETase with Enhanced NanoPET Substrate Hydrolysis and Thermal Stability

  • Carmen Ercolano,
  • Roberta Iacono,
  • Valeria Cafaro,
  • Elio Pizzo,
  • Donato Giovannelli,
  • Golo Feuerriegel,
  • Wolfgang R. Streit,
  • Andrea Strazzulli and
  • Marco Moracci

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) degradation by enzymatic hydrolysis is significant for addressing plastic pollution and fostering sustainable waste management practices. Identifying thermophilic and thermostable PET hydrolases is particularly crucia...

  • Feature Paper
  • Article
  • Open Access
6 Citations
4,080 Views
12 Pages

Dual-Enzyme-Cascade Catalysis for PET Biodegradation Based on a Variable-Temperature Program

  • Dong Lu,
  • Jinglong Wu,
  • Shuming Jin,
  • Qiuyang Wu,
  • Fang Wang,
  • Li Deng and
  • Kaili Nie

20 August 2024

As an environmentally friendly technology, enzymatic degradation of waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has great application potential. Mono (hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (MHET), an intermediate product of PET degradation, accumulates during the d...

  • Review
  • Open Access
14 Citations
5,088 Views
22 Pages

Genetic Modifications in Bacteria for the Degradation of Synthetic Polymers: A Review

  • Diego Martín-González,
  • Carlos de la Fuente Tagarro,
  • Andrea De Lucas,
  • Sergio Bordel and
  • Fernando Santos-Beneit

Synthetic polymers, commonly known as plastics, are currently present in all aspects of our lives. Although they are useful, they present the problem of what to do with them after their lifespan. There are currently mechanical and chemical methods to...

  • Review
  • Open Access
77 Citations
16,732 Views
63 Pages

19 October 2021

Plastics are highly durable and widely used materials. Current methodologies of plastic degradation, elimination, and recycling are flawed. In recent years, biodegradation (the usage of microorganisms for material recycling) has grown as a valid alte...

  • Communication
  • Open Access
21 Citations
4,550 Views
14 Pages

26 February 2021

Esters are organic compounds widely represented in cellular structures and metabolism, originated by the condensation of organic acids and alcohols. Esterification reactions are also used by chemical industries for the production of synthetic plastic...

  • Review
  • Open Access
19 Citations
9,298 Views
11 Pages

19 September 2023

Plastic pollution has emerged as a significant environmental concern in recent years and has prompted the exploration of innovative biotechnological solutions to mitigate plastic’s negative impact. The discovery of enzymes capable of degrading...

  • Perspective
  • Open Access
82 Citations
16,562 Views
10 Pages

3 February 2021

This short paper reviews two groups of enzymes designated as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) hydrolases: one consists of thermophilic cutinases from thermophilic microorganisms (actinomycetes and a fungus) and the other consists of mesophilic cutina...

  • Article
  • Open Access
5 Citations
5,031 Views
19 Pages

Efficient Bioprocess for Mixed PET Waste Depolymerization Using Crude Cutinase

  • Virender Kumar,
  • Reinhard Wimmer and
  • Cristiano Varrone

14 March 2025

In recent years, several plastic-degrading enzymes with efficient depolymerization abilities for PET have been reported. Here, we report a bioprocess for mixed PET waste depolymerization using crude extracellularly expressed enzymes in E. coli. The e...

  • Review
  • Open Access
15 Citations
7,417 Views
24 Pages

Determinants for an Efficient Enzymatic Catalysis in Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Degradation

  • José Augusto Castro-Rodríguez,
  • Rogelio Rodríguez-Sotres and
  • Amelia Farrés

15 March 2023

The enzymatic degradation of the recalcitrant poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) has been an important biotechnological goal. The present review focuses on the state of the art in enzymatic degradation of PET, and the challenges ahead. This review co...

  • Communication
  • Open Access
5 Citations
4,061 Views
12 Pages

A Rapid Method for the Selection of Amidohydrolases from Metagenomic Libraries by Applying Synthetic Nucleosides and a Uridine Auxotrophic Host

  • Nina Urbelienė,
  • Rita Meškienė,
  • Matas Tiškus,
  • Rūta Stanislauskienė,
  • Agota Aučynaitė,
  • Audrius Laurynėnas and
  • Rolandas Meškys

21 April 2020

In this study, the development of a rapid, high-throughput method for the selection of amide-hydrolysing enzymes from the metagenome is described. This method is based on uridine auxotrophic Escherichia coli strain DH10B ∆pyrFEC and the use of N4-ben...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
3,788 Views
15 Pages

Ideonella sakaiensis Can Metabolize Bisphenol A as a Carbon Source

  • Cristian-Emilian Pop,
  • György Deák,
  • Cristina Maria,
  • Gina Ghiță,
  • Alexandru Anton Ivanov,
  • Sergiu Fendrihan,
  • Dan Florin Mihăilescu and
  • Maria Mernea

Bisphenol A and its analogues represent a significant environmental and public health hazard, particularly affecting the endocrine systems of children and newborns. Due to the growing need for non-pathogenic biodegradation microbial agents as environ...

  • Review
  • Open Access
1,880 Views
32 Pages

Biocatalytic Recycling of Polyethylene Terephthalate: From Conventional to Innovative Routes for Transforming Plastic and Textile Waste into Renewable Resources

  • Damayanti Damayanti,
  • David Septian Sumanto Marpaung,
  • Abdul Rozak Kodarif,
  • Andri Sanjaya,
  • Desi Riana Saputri,
  • Yunita Fahni,
  • Lutfia Rahmiyati,
  • Putri Zulva Silvia,
  • Dewi Qurrota A’yuni and
  • Ho Shing Wu
  • + 1 author

20 November 2025

The rapid accumulation of plastic and textile waste, particularly polyethylene terephthalate (PET), has emerged as a global challenge for sustainable resource management. Conventional recycling methods, including mechanical and chemical routes, recov...

  • Review
  • Open Access
77 Citations
9,862 Views
28 Pages

A Middle-Aged Enzyme Still in Its Prime: Recent Advances in the Field of Cutinases

  • Efstratios Nikolaivits,
  • Maria Kanelli,
  • Maria Dimarogona and
  • Evangelos Topakas

3 December 2018

Cutinases are α/β hydrolases, and their role in nature is the degradation of cutin. Such enzymes are usually produced by phytopathogenic microorganisms in order to penetrate their hosts. The first focused studies on cutinases started aroun...

  • Review
  • Open Access
2,390 Views
34 Pages

Atomistic-Level Insights into the Role of Mutations in the Engineering of PET Hydrolases: A Systematic Review

  • Athina Karaoli,
  • Haralampos Tzoupis,
  • Konstantinos D. Papavasileiou,
  • Anastasios G. Papadiamantis,
  • Dimitris G. Mintis,
  • Chris T. Kiranoudis,
  • Iseult Lynch,
  • Georgia Melagraki and
  • Antreas Afantitis

Plastic pollution is a growing global challenge, and traditional plastic waste management methods are proving inadequate in tackling the issue. Enzymatic biodegradation has emerged as a promising alternative or addition to plastic waste management du...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
1,548 Views
14 Pages

20 February 2025

In the degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), mono(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (MHET) hydrolase (IsMHETase) plays a crucial role in the complete degradation of PET. Although IsMHETase was discovered concurrently with IsPETase, its struc...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
1,958 Views
24 Pages

19 June 2025

Plastic waste accumulation presents critical environmental challenges demanding innovative circular economy solutions. This study developed a comprehensive machine learning framework to systematically identify optimal enzyme combinations for polyeste...

  • Article
  • Open Access
34 Citations
9,095 Views
15 Pages

An Efficient Protein Evolution Workflow for the Improvement of Bacterial PET Hydrolyzing Enzymes

  • Valentina Pirillo,
  • Marco Orlando,
  • Davide Tessaro,
  • Loredano Pollegioni and
  • Gianluca Molla

27 December 2021

Enzymatic degradation is a promising green approach to bioremediation and recycling of the polymer poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). In the past few years, several PET-hydrolysing enzymes (PHEs) have been discovered, and new variants have been evol...

  • Article
  • Open Access
52 Citations
13,258 Views
22 Pages

Microbial Consortia and Mixed Plastic Waste: Pangenomic Analysis Reveals Potential for Degradation of Multiple Plastic Types via Previously Identified PET Degrading Bacteria

  • Sabrina Edwards,
  • Rosa León-Zayas,
  • Riyaz Ditter,
  • Helen Laster,
  • Grace Sheehan,
  • Oliver Anderson,
  • Toby Beattie and
  • Jay L. Mellies

The global utilization of single-use, non-biodegradable plastics, such as bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), has contributed to catastrophic levels of plastic pollution. Fortunately, microbial communities are adapting to assimilate pla...

  • Review
  • Open Access
6 Citations
7,359 Views
42 Pages

A Review on Sustainable Upcycling of Plastic Waste Through Depolymerization into High-Value Monomer

  • Ramkumar Vanaraj,
  • Subburayan Manickavasagam Suresh Kumar,
  • Seong Cheol Kim and
  • Madhappan Santhamoorthy

31 July 2025

Plastic waste accumulation is one of the most pressing environmental challenges of the 21st century, owing to the widespread use of synthetic polymers and the limitations of conventional recycling methods. Among available strategies, chemical upcycli...

  • Article
  • Open Access
504 Views
14 Pages

The Esterase Gs Derived from Geobacillus sp. JM6 Exhibits Hydrolytic Activity on the PET Model Substrates

  • Shuyan Duan,
  • Zhaoyi Wei,
  • Yushan Wei,
  • Xiaoyue Cai,
  • Yixuan Liu and
  • Ruiran Fan

11 October 2025

The continuous increase in demand for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has drawn global attention to the significant environmental pollution caused by the degradation of PET plastics. Exploring new PET-degrading enzymes is essential for enhancing the...

  • Article
  • Open Access
21 Citations
9,675 Views
22 Pages

The Purification and Characterization of a Cutinase-like Enzyme with Activity on Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) from a Newly Isolated Bacterium Stenotrophomonas maltophilia PRS8 at a Mesophilic Temperature

  • Salah Ud Din,
  • Kalsoom,
  • Sadia Mehmood Satti,
  • Salah Uddin,
  • Smita V. Mankar,
  • Esma Ceylan,
  • Fariha Hasan,
  • Samiullah Khan,
  • Malik Badshah and
  • Aamer Ali Shah
  • + 3 authors

14 March 2023

A polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-degrading bacterium identified as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia PRS8 was isolated from the soil of a landfill. The degradation of the PET bottle flakes and the PET prepared as a powder were assessed using live cells,...

  • Review
  • Open Access
6 Citations
4,994 Views
25 Pages

Linking the Metabolic Activity of Plastic-Degrading Fungi to Their Taxonomy and Evolution

  • Anusha H. Ekanayaka,
  • Namali T. De Silva,
  • Entaj Tarafder,
  • Xue-Mei Chen,
  • Dong-Qin Dai,
  • Steven L. Stephenson,
  • Suhail Asad,
  • Saowaluck Tibpromma and
  • Samantha C. Karunarathana

15 May 2025

Plastic, a ubiquitous part of our daily lives, has become a global necessity, with annual production exceeding 300 million tons. However, the accumulation of synthetic polymers in our environment poses a pressing global challenge. To address this urg...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
683 Views
21 Pages

16 October 2025

Plastic pollution, particularly from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), poses significant environmental concerns due to ecosystem persistence and extensive packaging use. Conventional recycling methods face inefficiencies, high costs, and limited scal...