Enzyme That Breaks Down Plastic and Antibiotics Discovered / Key to Bacterial Drug Resistance Found?

Researchers have discovered an unusual enzyme with a structure resembling the Pac-Man character from the famous video game, which can break down certain biodegradable plastics. The enzyme is also capable of breaking down some antibiotics, including penicillin.

Researchers have discovered a strange enzyme that has a structure similar to the famous video game character Pacman, and can break down some biodegradable plastics. At the same time, this enzyme has the ability to break down some antibiotics, including penicillin.

According to Ambassador Arjan, researchers from Konstanz University in Germany discovered an enzyme from the esterase family and chose the nickname "Pacman" for it due to the open and wide shape of the active part of the enzyme. This section allows larger molecules to approach the chemical reaction site.

The story of the discovery of this enzyme began with the investigation of a type of biodegradable plastic called long-chain aliphatic polyesters. Researchers buried pieces of this substance in the forest soil of the botanical garden of the university and examined its changes. They also conducted experiments in a laboratory environment to measure the activity of soil microbes as they break down different materials.

Examining the samples showed that bacteria can attack this type of plastic. By sequencing the DNA in the soil microbial community, the researchers identified a gene that became more abundant when the substance was decomposed. This gene instructs the production of an enzyme that can be placed on the surface of the bacterial cell and directly contact the plastic.

Subsequent experiments confirmed that this enzyme is capable of breaking down some polyesters into smaller molecular components. In soil tests, several types of biodegradable plastics were completely decomposed within 250 to 330 days. However, almost no degradation was observed in HDPE or high density polyethylene samples. A substance that is used in many everyday plastic products.

Unexpected interactions with antibiotics

Another important part of the research is related to the ability of this enzyme to break down beta-lactam antibiotics. This drug group includes penicillin. Some bacteria can become resistant to them by producing enzymes that destroy the chemical structure of these drugs.

Laboratory tests showed that the newly identified enzyme, in addition to decomposing polyesters, can also decompose some beta-lactam antibiotics. This finding raises the possibility of a biological connection between the ability to decompose plastic and antibiotic resistance.

However, researchers have not proven that this enzyme alone increases antibiotic resistance in the natural environment. This possibility needs more investigations and should not be considered as the definitive result of the study.

This research is a step to better understand the ability of microbes to break down certain plastic materials, but the investigated enzyme does not break down all types of plastic, and its widespread use in nature or industrial systems has not been proven.

The main significance of the discovery is that it shows that environmental microbes may have acquired previously unknown enzymatic abilities to use some synthetic materials. Understanding these mechanisms can help design better methods for managing plastic waste in the future.