Use of Coomassie blue-polyurethane interaction inscreening of polyurethanase proteins andpolyurethanolytic bacteria

Howard, Gary T.; Hilliard, Newton P.

doi:10.1016/s0964-8305(98)00062-6

Cited by 40 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Nomura et al [9] reported that Comamonas acidovorans TB35 has two types of extracellular esterases. Meanwhile, Howard et al [10] found that the supernatant of a liquid culture of Pseudomonas chlororaphis had three different types of PU activity. A culture of Alicycliphilus sp showed esterase activity when degrading PU [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polyurethane as substrate for fungal strains

Loredo‐Treviño¹,

García²,

Velasco-Téllez³

et al. 2011

ABB

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Polyurethane is a versatile plastic with several industrial applications in the modern life, but it is considered as a very recalcitrant material. Biodegradation of this plastic has been poorly explored, and most of the studies that have been published focus on bacterial enzymes. In this work, some fungi with the capacity of growing with polyurethane foam as nutrient source were isolated from sands contaminated with this plastic and from DIA/UAdeC collection, testing their ability to grow on polyurethane as sole carbon and nitrogen sources and their enzymatic activities were determined in specific media as well as their invasion capacity on polyurethane agar plates. 22 fungal strains demonstrated their capacity of growing on polyurethane. Among the enzymatic activities evaluate, the most common was the urease activity (95% of the strains).Protease, esterase and laccase activities were present in 86%, 50% and 36% respectively. The great ability of the isolated fungal strains to use polyurethane foam as nutrient opens an important opportunity to study at detail the biodegradation of this plastic, with clear implications in cell biology and environmental technology

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polyurethane as substrate for fungal strains

Loredo‐Treviño¹,

García²,

Velasco-Téllez³

et al. 2011

ABB

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“…Like other polyurethanes, this product is synthesized commercially for the manufacture of textiles and textile coatings. Enzymatic degradation of PUR by both fungi (4,5,6,19) and bacteria (11,12,14,15,17,18,23) has been demonstrated. Soil fungi comprise the majority of organisms screened for PUR degradation activity (4,5).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodegradation of Polyester Polyurethane by Endophytic Fungi

Russell

Huang

Anand

et al. 2011

Appl Environ Microbiol

440

190

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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.Tremendous increases in the manufacture and consumption of plastics over recent decades have led to numerous ecological and economic concerns. The persistence of synthetic polymers introduced into the environment by human industry poses a major threat to natural ecological systems. The low cost and ease of manufacture have increased global plastic demand more than 150-fold, with the production of 1.5 million tons in 1950 and 245 million tons as of 2006 (21). Despite recognition of the persistent pollution problems posed by plastic, global production is still increasing, with the largest increases expected in developing nations. The sheer volume of plastics produced each year presents a problem for waste disposal systems. The scale of this problem and the recalcitrance of some polymers to degradation necessitate investigation into effective methods for biodegradation of plastics. By gaining an understanding of the mechanisms of polymer degradation, a more efficient technique for the biodegradation of plastic waste can be achieved. To accomplish this goal, researchers need greater knowledge of how compounds are metabolized by existing organisms, an investigation of new organisms with bioremediation potential, and the characterization of novel metabolic capabilities.

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“…Physical examination of PU plugs for deterioration is considered as an important method for investigating biodeterioration of the PU plugs [28] because physical changes in the structure of PU are more likely to occur before complete degradation of PU takes place. The degree of deterioration of sampled PU plug was assessed each week by measuring changes in selected physical properties including tensile strength and weight loss after appropriate sample cleaning procedures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%