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Design of Plastic Binding Lytic Polysaccharide Monooxygenases via Modular Engineering
Alessia Munzone1, Manon Pujol2, Majda Badjoudj1
1INRAE, Aix Marseille University, UMR1163 Biodiversité et Biotechnologie Fongiques, 13009 Marseille, France.
Chem & Bio Engineering
|February 20, 2025
Summary
Researchers engineered plastic-binding enzymes by modifying lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) with new modules. This study provides a roadmap for developing enzymes capable of degrading plastic waste, showing promising results for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA).
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology
- Environmental Science and Engineering
- Enzymology and Protein Engineering
Background:
- Plastic waste accumulation poses a significant global environmental threat due to its persistence.
- Enzymatic recycling of plastics is a promising solution, but enzyme interaction with inert and hydrophobic plastics is challenging.
- Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) utilize surface-active carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) to interact with recalcitrant biopolymers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer LPMOs with enhanced plastic-binding capabilities by incorporating different natural accessory modules.
- To assess the polymer-binding specificity and tunability of engineered LPMO chimeras across various synthetic polymers.
- To investigate the potential of these engineered LPMOs for the enzymatic degradation of plastic waste, particularly polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA).
Main Methods:
- Construction of LPMO chimeras by swapping native CBMs with three distinct natural accessory modules with varying amphipathic properties.
- Evaluation of polymer-binding capacity of engineered LPMOs on a library of synthetic polymers including polyesters, polyamides, and polyolefins.
- Characterization of LPMO-dependent polymer modification using enzyme assays, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Main Results:
- Engineered LPMOs demonstrated polymer-dependent binding, tunable by accessory module choice and reaction conditions.
- Significant binding was achieved for certain LPMO chimeras, with particularly strong results observed for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA).
- The first evidence of LPMO-mediated modification of PHA polymers was successfully demonstrated.
Conclusions:
- This study presents a novel strategy for engineering plastic-binding LPMOs by module swapping, creating a roadmap for future development.
- The findings highlight the potential of LPMO chimeras for targeted plastic degradation, especially for PHA.
- This work represents a critical advancement towards developing efficient interfacial catalysis for plastic-active enzymes.
