OMIC STUDY OF MOLECULES ASSOCIATED WITH QUORUM SENSING IN A MICROBIAL CONSORTIUM WITH POTENTIAL FOR PET MICROPARTICLE DEGRADATION
Resumen
Plastics are durable and cost-effective materials that can be easily molded into a wide variety of products for diverse applications. When classified by size, one category includes microplastics—particles less than 5 mm in length. The significant increase in the release of these particles into ecosystems poses serious environmental, wildlife, and human health concerns due to their high resistance to degradation. Although several technologies and strategies have been proposed to address microplastic contamination in soil and water, biodegradation is considered the most suitable approach for their removal. This technique relies on the use of microorganisms capable of altering the chemical structure of microplastics and involves four stages: biodeterioration, fragmentation, assimilation, and mineralization. Notably, the assimilation stage includes biofilm formation, which is regulated by a cell-to-cell communication process known as quorum sensing. To elucidate how these processes occur, and to identify the genes, metabolites, and proteins involved as well as their role in degradation mechanisms, this study will employ multi-omics approaches.