{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T06:22:50Z","timestamp":1787638970804,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787616000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Biodegradable aliphatic and aliphatic-aromatic polyesters, such as poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL), polybutylene succinate (PBS), and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), are increasingly used as sustainable alternatives to petrochemical plastics. However, their depolymerization outside industrial composting facilities is often incomplete. This study characterized\n                    <jats:italic>Papiliotrema laurentii<\/jats:italic>\n                    strain 62UF-13, isolated from migratory locust frass, for broad-spectrum polyester hydrolysis. Emulsion assays demonstrated hydrolytic activity across all five polymers, with PCL and PBS showing the highest clearance rates. Solid-film assays revealed substantial gravimetric mass loss of PCL, PLA, and PHA cast films, whereas a commercial PBAT\u2013PLA mulch film in minimal medium, underwent progressive fragmentation\/disintegration, as assessed by the remaining film area. Incubation with the PBAT\u2013PLA film was accompanied by the release of adipic acid (49.60 mg\/L, week 1) and terephthalic acid (maximum 21.62 mg\/L, week 4), followed by a decrease to 0.26 mg\/L by week 8, coinciding with the emergence of putative 3,4-dihydroxymandelic acid and a putative acetylated derivative. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed pronounced pitting and erosion, while Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated ester-bond scission and changes in crystallinity\/melting behavior. Whole-genome sequencing identified eight candidate polyesterases, including cutinases and esterases, with \u2265 60% amino acid identity to known hydrolases active on PCL, PBS, PHA, and PLA. This study is the first report of\n                    <jats:italic>P. laurentii<\/jats:italic>\n                    degrading a broad range of aliphatic and aliphatic-aromatic polyesters, including partial biotransformation of terephthalate moieties from PBAT. Integration of phenotypic assays and genomic evidence positions\n                    <jats:italic>P. laurentii<\/jats:italic>\n                    62UF-13 as a viable biocatalyst for decentralized management of biodegradable plastic waste under mild environmental conditions.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2026.1909125","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T05:34:26Z","timestamp":1787636066000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Broad-spectrum biodegradation of aliphatic and aliphatic-aromatic polyesters by Papiliotrema laurentii isolated from locust frass"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Sihyun","family":"An","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Agricultural Microbiology Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences","place":["Wanju, Republic of Korea"]},{"name":"Division of Biotechnology, College of Environmental and Bioresource Sciences, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan","place":["Jeonbuk, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hang-Yeon","family":"Weon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Agricultural Microbiology Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences","place":["Wanju, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jae-Hyung","family":"Ahn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Agricultural Microbiology Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences","place":["Wanju, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joon-hui","family":"Chung","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Agricultural Microbiology Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences","place":["Wanju, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dayeon","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Agricultural Microbiology Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences","place":["Wanju, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Young-Joon","family":"Ko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Agricultural Microbiology Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences","place":["Wanju, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jehyeong","family":"Yeon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Agricultural Microbiology Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences","place":["Wanju, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jae-Cheol","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mokpo National University","place":["Muan, Republic of Korea"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"138","DOI":"10.47371\/mycosci.2024.12.002","article-title":"Degradation of biodegradable plastics by phytopathogenic smut fungi.","volume":"66","author":"Aoki","year":"2025","journal-title":"Mycoscience"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"W81","DOI":"10.1093\/nar\/gkz310","article-title":"antiSMASH 5.0: Updates to the secondary metabolite genome mining pipeline.","volume":"47","author":"Blin","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nucleic. 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