Plastic Degrading Microbial Communities from Insect Larvae Guts
EMSL Project ID
60038
Abstract
Insect microbial consortia are attractive platforms for plastics deconstruction and conversion as they degrade plastics more rapidly than microbial isolates and do not require pretreatment. While several bacterial members of these communities have been identified, the specific pathways responsible for biodegradation remain to be elucidated and the potential contributions of fungal members are unexamined. More importantly, emerging evidence suggest a role for microbial interactions in the rate of plastics degradation. For example, the degradation rate of polyethylene and polystyrene by the microbiome of yellow mealworms (larvae of Tenebrio molitor) is increased by up to 70% when the plastic is co-fed with bran. This feeding strategy gave rise to a unique community structure that is only partially correlated with the community fed plastic alone. However, it is unclear whether the bran-supported microbes participate in plastics degradation or merely support a more optimal community structure for function. Therefore, we will measure the metagenome and metatranscriptome of the uncultured microbes of the mealworm gut grown on polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene and mixture of the three. Isolate single microbes from the mealworm gut microbe directly associated with specific degradation steps, using custom diazirine containing probes. Identification of trace proteome and microbial identity of small populations of microbes associated with specific degradation steps.
Project Details
Project type
FICUS Research
Start Date
2021-10-01
End Date
N/A
Status
Active
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)
Team Members