Plastics in the environment represent new substrates for microbial colonization, and recent methodological advances allow for in-depth characterization of plastic-associated microbial communities (PAMCs). Over the past several decades, discovery of plastic degrading enzymes (PDEs) and plastic degrading microorganisms (PDMs) has been driven by efforts to understand microbially-mediated plastic degradation in the environment and to discover biocatalysts for plastic processing. In this review, we discuss the evolution of methodology in plastic microbiology and highlight major advancements in the field stemming from computational microbiology. Initial research relied largely on culture-based approaches like clear-zone assays to screen for PDMs and microscopy to characterize PAMCs. New computational tools and sequencing technologies are accelerating discoveries in the field through culture-independent and multi-omic approaches, rapidly generating targets for protein engineering and improving the potential for plastic-waste management.

中文翻译：

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表征塑料相关微生物群落以及发现塑料降解微生物和酶的新方法


环境中的塑料代表了微生物定植的新基质，最近的方法学进展允许对塑料相关微生物群落（PAMC）进行深入表征。在过去的几十年里，了​​解环境中微生物介导的塑料降解和发现塑料加工生物催化剂的努力推动了塑料降解酶（PDE）和塑料降解微生物（PDM）的发现。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了塑料微生物学方法的演变，并强调了计算微生物学在该领域取得的重大进展。最初的研究主要依赖于基于培养的方法，例如用于筛选 PDM 的清区分析和用于表征 PAMC 的显微镜检查。新的计算工具和测序技术正在通过独立于培养物和多组学的方法加速该领域的发现，快速生成蛋白质工程目标并提高塑料废物管理的潜力。