Polyvinyl chloride degradation by a bacterium isolated from the gut of insect larvae

Evidence for microbial degradation of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has previously been reported, but little is known about the degrading strains and enzymes. Here, we isolate a PVC-degrading bacterium from the gut of insect larvae and shed light on the PVC degradation pathway using a multi-omic approach. We show that the larvae of an insect pest, Spodoptera frugiperda, can survive by feeding on PVC film, and this is associated with enrichment of Enterococcus, Klebsiella and other bacteria in the larva's gut microbiota. A bacterial strain isolated from the larval intestine (Klebsiella sp. EMBL-1) is able to depolymerize and utilize PVC as sole energy source. We use genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and…

• WU
  Westlake University
• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 32100091, 51908467
• SJ
  Shanghai Jiao Tong University
• NS
  Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province

  Award: LR22D010001