Team:Toronto/wetlab
Wet Lab
Results
This section includes all our graphs and assay results that demonstrate our work.
Improvement
Even though the discovery of PETase is considered to be a notable achievement in tackling the issue of plastic pollution, PETase inherently includes many limitations. This section includes the factors that contribute to the thermostability of PETase and how we utilized these factors to improve the catalytic ability of PETase by adjusting its thermostability.
Experiments
In order to analyze the functions of IsPETase and our PETase mutants, we need to use multiple experimental assays such as transformations, protein purifications, and activity assays. This section of the wiki includes all the experimental procedures we conducted in this project and detailed protocols used.
Background
In 2016, plastic-degrading microbe Ideonella sakaiensis was discovered in PET contaminated soils in a landfill in Japan (Yoshida et al., 2016). Using an enzyme dubbed PETase, this type of bacteria utilizes PET as its primary source of Carbon. PETase breaks down PET into its monomeric constituents (MHET), which are further decomposed into terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol by the extracellular enzyme MHETase. This part of the wiki explains the biological background of plastic degradation mechanisms by IsPETase and the factors that contribute to the thermostability of PETase.