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Investigating the biodegradation and fate of plastics in the gut of xylophagous insect larvae

Project description

Turning to nature’s power to combat plastic pollution

Plastic pollution poses a significant environmental threat, with plastics accumulating in ecosystems and breaking down into harmful microplastics that infiltrate the food chain. Conventional plastic degradation methods have been ineffective, prompting researchers to explore the potential of xylophagous insect larvae, which harbour microorganisms capable of breaking down resilient plastics like polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyurethane. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the PLASTIGUT project will investigate the degradation processes within the larvae’s gut. Using advanced techniques like stable isotope probing and metagenomics, the project seeks to identify and confirm novel enzymes and microorganisms responsible for plastic degradation, paving the way for innovative solutions to combat plastic pollution.

Objective

The recalcitrance of plastics leads to their accumulation in the environment, where physical deterioration in absence of degradation is causing widespread pollution. Microplastics have been found to enter the food chain and to bio accumulate with hitherto unknown long-term health effects, making plastic pollution one of the major environmental problems of our time. In recent years, a plethora of plastic degrading microorganisms and enzymes have been reported, however their degradation efficiencies, especially for conventional plastics, are often underwhelming. Enzymes capable of plastic degradation share a close homology to enzymes involved in the degradation of natural plant derived polymers, such as esterases, cutinases, lipases. It is therefore no surprise that most plastic degrading microorganisms and enzymes are found in the soil environment and compost, where plant litter is a dominant carbon source. Recently, microorganisms inhabiting the guts of xylophagous insect larvae were reported to degrade highly recalcitrant plastics such as polyethylene, polystyrene and polyurethane. However, evidence of this degradation remains scarce and to date few enzymes capable of degrading these polymers could be confirmed. in this regard, xylophagous insect larvae harbour much untapped potential for the discovery of unknown plastic degrading microorganisms and enzymes that could help mitigate plastic pollution. This project will benefit from my previous experience with stable isotope probing, sequencing analysis and plastic degradation by using carbon-13 labelled plastics to investigate plastic fate and degradation in the gut of xylophagous insect larvae. Cryosectioning of the larval gut and state-of-the-art imaging technologies will be used to study plastic fate. Stable isotope probing coupled with metagenomics and proteomics will then identify genes and enzymes responsible for plastic degradation and their function will be confirmed in vitro through heterologous expression.

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HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01

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Coordinator

KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 191 760,00
Address
OUDE MARKT 13
3000 Leuven
Belgium

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Region
Vlaams Gewest Prov. Vlaams-Brabant Arr. Leuven
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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