Identifying Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Plastic Biodegradation Potential in Exiguobacterium sp.
Brennan Withers
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: José R. de la Torre
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the most commonly manufactured plastic and is also incapable of being metabolized by most microorganisms due to its complex chemical structure. In this study, we investigate the PET plastic biodegradation potential of an Exiguobacterium sp. culture originally sampled from the San Francisco State University campus. We will determine this potential by using gene annotation to identify gene markers for the production of PET metabolic enzymes. Additionally, we will use genomics to build a phylogenetic comparison between the Exiguobacterium sp. and other microorganisms known to metabolize PET plastic with minimal assistance. Through these methods, we can estimate the bacterium’s ability to biodegrade PET into simpler components which could then be metabolized by a wider range of microorganisms. Identifying organisms capable of recycling PET is crucial to begin to address the increasing prevalence of plastic waste.