Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Bioremediation00:46

Bioremediation

18.2K
Bioremediation is the use of prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. This process has been used to remove harmful toxins in groundwater as a byproduct of agricultural run-off and also to clean up oil spills.
18.2K
Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters01:20

Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters

2.2K
The introduction of polyesters has brought major development to the textile industry. The wrinkle-free behavior of polyester blends has eliminated the need for starching and ironing clothes.
Polyesters are commonly prepared from terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol; the crude product is known as poly(ethylene terephthalate) or PET. However, polyesters are synthesized industrially by transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate with ethylene glycol at 150 °C. The two reactants and the...
2.2K
Environmental Applications of Microorganisms01:30

Environmental Applications of Microorganisms

2
Microorganisms play a pivotal role in maintaining ecosystem balance by recycling essential elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, as well as supporting processes like bioremediation, wastewater treatment, and biofuel production.Microbes in Elemental CyclesIn the carbon cycle, microorganisms decompose organic matter, releasing carbon dioxide via aerobic respiration. This carbon dioxide is subsequently used by photosynthetic organisms to synthesize organic compounds, closing the...
2

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A call to expand the dimensions of halide-philicity.

mBio·2026
Same author

PARAS: High-Accuracy Machine Learning of Substrate Specificities in Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetases.

JACS Au·2026
Same author

Enzyme association for environmental biotransformation reactions through contrastive learning of reaction center-specific fingerprints.

Bioinformatics (Oxford, England)·2026
Same author

Breaking it down: Unveiling the roles of chemical structure, concentrations and technology on micropollutant biotransformation in wastewater treatment plants.

Water research·2026
Same author

Strategies for community-sourced biocuration in bioinformatics: a case study on MIBiG 4.0.

Briefings in bioinformatics·2025
Same author

New chemicals fuel the evolution of microbial biodegradation.

Microbiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2025

Isolation and Screening from Soil Biodiversity for Fungi Involved in the Degradation of Recalcitrant Materials
08:21

Isolation and Screening from Soil Biodiversity for Fungi Involved in the Degradation of Recalcitrant Materials

Published on: May 16, 2022

4.7K

A prescription for engineering PFAS biodegradation.

Lawrence P Wackett1, Serina L Robinson2

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics and Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 1479 Gortner Ave, St. Paul, MN, U.S.A.

The Biochemical Journal
|November 25, 2024
PubMed
Summary

Engineered microbes could degrade persistent per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFAS). This approach focuses on laboratory evolution of enzymes and bacteria to overcome environmental challenges and mitigate fluoride toxicity for effective biodegradation.

Keywords:
PFASbiodegradationbioengineeringenzymesevolutionfluoride

More Related Videos

Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture
13:38

Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture

Published on: May 10, 2013

30.6K
Generation of Greater Bacterial Biofilm Biomass using PCR-Plate Deep Well Microplate Devices
10:57

Generation of Greater Bacterial Biofilm Biomass using PCR-Plate Deep Well Microplate Devices

Published on: April 22, 2022

7.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 6, 2025

Isolation and Screening from Soil Biodiversity for Fungi Involved in the Degradation of Recalcitrant Materials
08:21

Isolation and Screening from Soil Biodiversity for Fungi Involved in the Degradation of Recalcitrant Materials

Published on: May 16, 2022

4.7K
Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture
13:38

Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture

Published on: May 10, 2013

30.6K
Generation of Greater Bacterial Biofilm Biomass using PCR-Plate Deep Well Microplate Devices
10:57

Generation of Greater Bacterial Biofilm Biomass using PCR-Plate Deep Well Microplate Devices

Published on: April 22, 2022

7.4K

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Biotechnology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFAS) are persistent environmental pollutants.
  • PFAS pose risks to human health and resist microbial degradation.
  • Current understanding suggests C-F bond strength or fluoride toxicity limits microbial breakdown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review strategies for enhancing microbial degradation of PFAS.
  • To advocate for laboratory-based engineering and evolution approaches.
  • To identify key steps for achieving in vivo PFAS biodegradation.

Main Methods:

  • Reviewing existing literature on PFAS recalcitrance and defluorination enzymes.
  • Proposing a strategy combining metabolic engineering and directed evolution.
  • Identifying necessary biological components for successful PFAS bioremediation.

Main Results:

  • Enzymes capable of defluorination exist across all Enzyme Commission classes.
  • Successful biodegradation requires engineered microbes tolerant to high fluoride levels.
  • Developing enzymes with broader substrate specificity and positive selective pressure for PFAS is crucial.

Conclusions:

  • Laboratory evolution offers a promising route to engineer microbes for PFAS degradation.
  • A multi-pronged approach involving enzyme engineering and microbial adaptation is necessary.
  • Overcoming fluoride toxicity and enhancing C-F bond cleavage are key challenges.