Search
E-mail
RSS

Online submission Editor-in-chief Peer review Staff Login

Journal of Tropical Oceanography

Previous Articles    

Isolation, Identification and Degradation Characteristics of a Marine-Derived Polyurethane-Degrading Pseudomonas iranensis Strain SCSIO 85019

LIU Yuqing 1,2, WU Tingbiao 3, DENG Shijing 1,2, FAN Tingting 3, TIAN Xinpeng 1, LI Qinglian1,4

2. 中国科学院大学，北京，100049

3. 医药健康技术与工程研究所(深圳湾实验室)，广东，深圳，518132

4. 广东药科大学生命科学与生物制药学院，广东 广州 510006   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture(South China Sea Institute of Oceanology), Guangzhou 510301, China

    2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

    3. Institute of Biomedical Health Technology and Engineering (Shenzhen Bay Laboratory), Shenzhen, 518132, China

    4. School of Life Science and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China

  • Received:2025-06-20 Revised:2025-10-07 Accepted:2025-10-17
  • Contact: Li, Qinglian
  • Supported by:
    National Key Research and Development Program of China for Young Scientists(2023YFC3903300)

PDF (PC)

Like

Abstract: Polyurethane (PU) plastics are widely utilized across various industries owing to their unique properties. However, their accumulation in marine environments has resulted in the generation of substantial amounts of microplastics, posing serious threats to marine ecosystems and human health. In this study, a PU-degrading strain SCSIO 85019 was isolated and purified from marine sediments collected from Daya Bay, Huizhou. Based on colony morphological characteristics and 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis, the strain was identified as Pseudomonas iranensis. Degradation capability assessment showed that this strain could degrade both aqueous polyester-polyurethane Impranil™ DLN and solid polyester-polyurethane (poly1,4-butylene adipate-based PU, PBA-PU) on minimal salt medium (MSM) plates, forming distinct hydrolysis zones with ratios of halo diameter (H) to colony diameter (C) of 1.6 and 2.0, respectively. In liquid MSM culture, after 4 days of incubation at 30°C and pH 7.0, strain SCSIO 85019 achieved a degradation rate of 82.04% for 0.1% (v/v) Impranil™ DLN. LC-MS analysis of PBA-PU degradation products identified five intermediate metabolites, including adipic acid, 1,4-butanediol, and 4,4'-methylenedianiline derivatives, indicating this strain could hydrolyze both ester and urethane bonds of PBA-PU. Through extracellular enzyme activity assays and genomic bioinformatics analysis, we identified three putative esterases (QXI20836.1, QXI21523.1, and QXI24368.1) potentially involved in ester bond hydrolysis, along with one urease (QXI23417.1) and one protease (QXI23233.1) likely responsible for urethane bond cleavage. A potential pathway for PBA-PU degradation by strain SCSIO 85019 was proposed. This study not only reports the first evidence of polyurethane degradation by Pseudomonas iranensis but also characterizes the degradation properties of its strain SCSIO 85019, thereby providing a valuable microbial resource for marine microplastic remediation.

Key words: Polyurethane, Marine microplastics, Biodegradation, Urease, Lipase.