Project Overview

Team ITB_Indonesia tries to create a new method to degrade plastic using synthetic biology approach. We create a novel device which is a synthetic bacteria that able to degrade PET and consume ethylene glycol as the byproduct of degradation reaction. We also establish ompA protein fused with LC Cutinase in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) thus exposing the enzymes on the surface membrane of bacteria. This condition make the degradation process easily because PET, a high molecular substrate, doesn't need to pass through bacteria cell membrane. We also construct a cassette comprised of two enzyme, glycoaldehyde reductase and glycoaldehyde dehydrogenase which responsible in metabolising ethylene glycol. We use constitutive promoter for both construct, thus making it necessary to create a modul of reporter and self regulatory in order to maintain system efficiency and minimizing severe cytoplasmic stress, in this case, formation of inclusion body aggregate due to strong constitutive expression.