Background and Goals
Plastic pollution is a pressing environmental concern, menacing diverse ecosystems and human health [1] [2]. Current approaches to recycle plastic waste, including microorganism-based biodegradation, are costly, slow, and inefficient. Recently, certain insects (waxworms) have been shown to produce enzymes capable of degrading polyethylene plastics [3]. Modified organisms expressing such enzymes could be used as tools towards environmental clean-up and in toxicology studies.
In this project, you will address that using the Caenorhabditis elegans model: a microscopic roundworm that has been instrumental in uncovering important biological pathways such as apoptosis and RNAi. The animal is genetically tractable, non-pathogenic, easy to culture in the lab, and has a transparent body that enables microscopic examination.
The first goal of this project is to establish methods for the visualization of ingested microplastic. The second goal is to genetically engineer C. elegans, so that it expresses the waxworm plastic-degrading enzyme. Subsequently, we will determine if the enzyme is tolerated by C. elegans and sufficient to degrade microplastic in a heterologous system.
Methods
The student will learn basics of C. elegans and bacterial genetics and culture, light and fluorescence microscopy, microinjection, and genome engeneering.
Contact Person
Dr. Pooja Kumari; pooja.kumari@ibv.uio.no
References
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Jambeck, J.R., et al., Marine pollution. Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science, 2015. 347(6223): p. 768-71.
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Huang, W., et al., Microplastics and associated contaminants in the aquatic environment: A review on their ecotoxicological effects, trophic transfer, and potential impacts to human health. J Hazard Mater, 2021. 405: p. 124187.
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Sanluis-Verdes, A., et al., Wax worm saliva and the enzymes therein are the key to polyethylene degradation by Galleria mellonella. Nat Commun, 2022. 13(1): p. 5568.