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| Open AccessWax worm saliva and the enzymes therein are the key to polyethylene degradation by Galleria mellonella
The crucial first step in the biodegradation of polyethylene plastic is oxidation of the polymer. This has traditionally required abiotic pre-treatment, but now Bertocchini and colleagues report two wax worm enzymes capable of catalyzing this oxidation and subsequent degradation at room temperature.
- A. Sanluis-Verdes
- , P. Colomer-Vidal
- & F. Bertocchini
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| Open AccessBottlenecks and opportunities for synthetic biology biosafety standards
The lack of innovative standards for biosafety in synthetic biology is an unresolved policy gap that limits many potential applications in synthetic biology. We argue that a massive support for standardization in biosafety is required for synthetic biology to flourish.
- Lei Pei
- , Michele Garfinkel
- & Markus Schmidt
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Article
| Open AccessDesigning yeast as plant-like hyperaccumulators for heavy metals
Existing heavy metal bioremediation systems are mainly based on plants, which require long growing time in specific conditions. Here, the authors mimic the characteristics of plant hyperaccumulators to engineer more tractable baker’s yeast and achieve 10–100-fold higher accumulation of chromium, arsenic, or cadmium.
- George L. Sun
- , Erin. E. Reynolds
- & Angela M. Belcher
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| Open AccessGlobal metabolic rewiring for improved CO2 fixation and chemical production in cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria are promising biofactories to reduce atmospheric CO2 and convert it into chemicals. Here the authors engineer Synechococcus elongatus carbon metabolism to increase 2,3-butanediol production from glucose and CO2under light and dark conditions.
- Masahiro Kanno
- , Austin L. Carroll
- & Shota Atsumi
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Competitive and cooperative metabolic interactions in bacterial communities
Genome-scale metabolic models for bacterial species allow a systematic study of inter-species interactions. Here, competitive and cooperative potential is predicted between 6,903 pairs of species, to explore the role of these interactions in shaping coexistence patterns in natural communities.
- Shiri Freilich
- , Raphy Zarecki
- & Eytan Ruppin