title: Biodegradation of polyester polyurethane by endophytic fungi.
abstract: Bioremediation is an important approach to waste reduction that relies on biological processes to break down a variety of pollutants. This is made possible by the vast metabolic diversity of the microbial world. To explore this diversity for the breakdown of plastic, we screened several dozen endophytic fungi for their ability to degrade the synthetic polymer polyester polyurethane (PUR). Several organisms demonstrated the ability to efficiently degrade PUR in both solid and liquid suspensions. Particularly robust activity was observed among several isolates in the genus Pestalotiopsis, although it was not a universal feature of this genus. Two Pestalotiopsis microspora isolates were uniquely able to grow on PUR as the sole carbon source under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Molecular characterization of this activity suggests that a serine hydrolase is responsible for degradation of PUR. The broad distribution of activity observed and the unprecedented case of anaerobic growth using PUR as the sole carbon source suggest that endophytes are a promising source of biodiversity from which to screen for metabolic properties useful for bioremediation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Pria
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anand
authors.forename: Kaury
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kucera
authors.forename: Amanda G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Sandoval
authors.forename: Kathleen W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Dantzler
authors.forename: DaShawn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hickman
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jee
authors.forename: Farrah M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Kimovec
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Koppstein
authors.forename: Daniel H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Marks
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Mittermiller
authors.forename: Salvador Joel
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Núñez
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santiago
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Townes
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vishnevetsky
authors.forename: Neely E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Mario Percy Núñez
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: Lori-Ann
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Boulanger
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bascom-Slack
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Strobel
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001711:Biotransformation; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000378:metabolism*; D012331:RNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D011140:Polyurethanes; D012331:RNA, Fungal; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; C065096:RNA, ribosomal, 26S; D002244:Carbon; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases