Structural and Biophysical Studies of a Cutinase of Antarctic Origin

• Grant number: 24/18291-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Richard Charles Garratt
• Grantee: Amanda Lara Fukuda Marques
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In recent years, plastics have become one of the products with the greatest accumulation in the environment, with their fragmentation representing one of the main sources of pollution. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a plastic widely used mainly in the manufacture of disposable bottles, has become a priority target for decomposition and pollution mitigation strategies. However, the methods developed so far to deal with PET waste have proven inefficient. The recent discovery of enzymes capable of degrading PET offers a new biotechnological possibility to address these environmental challenges. In this work, we propose the study of a cutinase obtained from an Antarctic metagenomic project with potential activity at low temperatures. Thus, we hope, from the resolution of the structure via crystallography and X-ray diffraction, to explore its functional implications in enzymatic activity, with possible applications in bioremediation.