Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering (IIBM) and Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, CHILE
Discovery, characterization and design of novel plastic-degrading enzymes
Host: J. Molloy
Abstract
Biochemical networks are central to the flow of energy and matter In the last two decades, several microorganisms have been described to contain enzymes that catalyze the depolymerization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Most of these PET hydrolases (PETases) are thermophilic, reaching optimal activity at temperatures above 70°C, while only a few mesophilic enzymes, such as I. sakaiensis PETase, showing degradation activity at 40ºC. In this seminar, we will discuss our efforts on discovering and characterizing novel PETases that catalyze PET depolymerization at different temperatures, including the identification of an enzyme from an Antarctic bacterium (Mors1) that degrades PET at room temperature, and an enzyme from a plant compost (PHL7) that degrades PET at high temperatures. Finally, we will discuss how protein engineering and deep learning enables us to redesign these enzymes to generate potential candidates with improved activity against PET, potentially enabling their
use as biocatalysts for the biological degradation of PET.
International Seminar Programme
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