Characterization of Newly Discovered Polyester Polyurethane-Degrading Methylobacterium aquaticum Strain A1.

Abstract

In this study, we present Methylobacterium aquaticum A1, a novel strain capable of degrading polyester polyurethane (PE-PUR). The attachment of M. aquaticum A1 to PE-PUR and its degradation capabilities were verified using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Analysis of the reference genome of M. aquaticum revealed genes encoding enzymes with potential PE-PUR degrading activity, including esterases, lipase, proteases and amidase such as tesA, pgpB, aes, aprE, lon, degQ, and gatA. An esterase activity assay using p-nitrophenyl acetate (p-NPA) showed increased ester bond-cleaving activity when M. aquaticum A1 was exposed to polyurethane diol (PU-diol), suggesting inducible enzymatic activity involved in PE-PUR degradation. These findings highlight the potential of M. aquaticum A1 as a promising biocatalyst for PE-PUR degradation.