Molecular biotechnology for the biodegradation of organofluorine compounds.
Wackett LP
Summary
PubMedWhy it matters This matters because PFAS chemicals from pesticides, packaging, and industrial runoff contaminate the soil and water used to grow your food, and finding microbial solutions could eventually clean up contaminated gardens, farms, and parks.
Certain man-made chemicals — like those found in non-stick coatings and some pesticides — are called 'forever chemicals' because nothing in nature can break them down. Scientists are trying to engineer tiny microbes in the lab to do what nature can't: chew through these stubborn pollutants and neutralize them. The challenge is that breaking these chemicals apart releases a toxic byproduct (fluoride), which kills the very microbes doing the work — so researchers are working to overcome that hurdle too.
chevron_right Technical Details
Scientists are developing bioengineering tools to help microbes break down PFAS ('forever chemicals') — highly persistent fluorinated pollutants that contaminate soil and water worldwide. Natural microbes can't do this well, so researchers are using lab-based evolution and genetic engineering to create organisms that can.
Key Findings
Natural microorganisms cannot effectively metabolize polyfluorinated compounds, making these 'forever chemicals' persist indefinitely in the environment.
Fluoride released during the breakdown of fluorinated compounds is toxic to microbes, representing a key biological barrier to natural biodegradation.
Microbial enzymes that can defluorinate simpler (monofluorinated) compounds have been identified and are being used as blueprints to engineer microbes capable of tackling more complex perfluorinated chemicals.
Abstract Preview
Organofluorine compounds are of considerable concern due to their environmental persistence and human health effects. Their persistence stems from an inability of native microorganisms to metaboliz...
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