Biodegradation of polyethylene by the marine fungus Parengyodontium album
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Biodegradation of polyethylene by the marine fungus Parengyodontium album. / Vaksmaa, A.; Vielfaure, H.; Polerecky, L.; Kienhuis, M. V.M.; van der Meer, M.T.J.; Pflüger, T.; Egger, M.; Niemann, H.
I: Science of the Total Environment, Bind 934, 172819, 2024.Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Biodegradation of polyethylene by the marine fungus Parengyodontium album
AU - Vaksmaa, A.
AU - Vielfaure, H.
AU - Polerecky, L.
AU - Kienhuis, M. V.M.
AU - van der Meer, M.T.J.
AU - Pflüger, T.
AU - Egger, M.
AU - Niemann, H.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Plastic pollution in the marine realm is a severe environmental problem. Nevertheless, plastic may also serve as a potential carbon and energy source for microbes, yet the contribution of marine microbes, especially marine fungi to plastic degradation is not well constrained. We isolated the fungus Parengyodontium album from floating plastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and measured fungal-mediated mineralization rates (conversion to CO2) of polyethylene (PE) by applying stable isotope probing assays with 13C-PE over 9 days of incubation. When the PE was pretreated with UV light, the biodegradation rate of the initially added PE was 0.044 %/day. Furthermore, we traced the incorporation of PE-derived 13C carbon into P. album biomass using nanoSIMS and fatty acid analysis. Despite the high mineralization rate of the UV-treated 13C-PE, incorporation of PE-derived 13C into fungal cells was minor, and 13C incorporation was not detectable for the non-treated PE. Together, our results reveal the potential of P. album to degrade PE in the marine environment and to mineralize it to CO2. However, the initial photodegradation of PE is crucial for P. album to metabolize the PE-derived carbon.
AB - Plastic pollution in the marine realm is a severe environmental problem. Nevertheless, plastic may also serve as a potential carbon and energy source for microbes, yet the contribution of marine microbes, especially marine fungi to plastic degradation is not well constrained. We isolated the fungus Parengyodontium album from floating plastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and measured fungal-mediated mineralization rates (conversion to CO2) of polyethylene (PE) by applying stable isotope probing assays with 13C-PE over 9 days of incubation. When the PE was pretreated with UV light, the biodegradation rate of the initially added PE was 0.044 %/day. Furthermore, we traced the incorporation of PE-derived 13C carbon into P. album biomass using nanoSIMS and fatty acid analysis. Despite the high mineralization rate of the UV-treated 13C-PE, incorporation of PE-derived 13C into fungal cells was minor, and 13C incorporation was not detectable for the non-treated PE. Together, our results reveal the potential of P. album to degrade PE in the marine environment and to mineralize it to CO2. However, the initial photodegradation of PE is crucial for P. album to metabolize the PE-derived carbon.
KW - Isotopically labeled polymers
KW - Marine fungi
KW - Microbial plastic degradation
KW - nanoSIMS
KW - Polyethylene
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172819
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172819
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 38679106
AN - SCOPUS:85193222887
VL - 934
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
SN - 0048-9697
M1 - 172819
ER -
ID: 395871064