Understanding the Hydrolytic Activity of Papiliotrema laurentii on Polyester Polyurethane Coatings

Though plastic polymers such as polyester polyurethanes have many applications from electronics to aircraft coatings, their resistance to natural degradation presents an environmental concern. Therefore, elucidating the mechanism of degradation from microorganisms that were discovered breaking down the coating of a cargo aircraft may offer insights into a method of bioremediation. To explore this, the fungus Papiliotrema laurentii (one microorganism isolated from the consortium) was cultured in several different media types at different pH levels in order to understand how it adjusts its protein secretion patterns to environmental changes. 2D gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing (IEF) and a variety of gel stains and assays were used in order to identify the proteins capable of the degradation. In addition, a catalytic triad composed of serine-aspartate-histidine was identified as being involved in the active site and catalysis of the characterized hydrolase