Cold-water gut isolate from threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) reveals polypropylene surface oxidation and co-culture inhibition
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
- 2Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
- 3Department of Biology, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
- 4Department of Social and Critical Inquiry, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
Abstract
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP), two of the most widely produced plastics in the United States, persist in diverse environments worldwide and may persist longer in cold-water environments where plastic-degrading microbial taxa have been poorly characterized. Understanding how gut microbes interact and contribute to plastic degradation is essential for developing potential microbiome-based bioremediation strategies. We isolated 184 microbes from wild Alaskan threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) guts across six bodies of water and screened them for their plastic-degrading potential using lipase/esterase assays and biofilm formation on PET and PP. We discovered that while some members of the stickleback gut microbiota have high lipase, esterase, and biofilm activity, that activity is enhanced or suppressed by other microbes. Isolates with the highest plastic-degrading potential were incubated in minimal media with PET or PP as the primary carbon source to determine whether plastic degradation occurs. While no detectable changes were observed on PET, surface analysis identified a Pseudomonas trivialis strain that exhibited evidence of PP surface oxidation in monoculture; however, this activity was suppressed in the presence of another gut isolate, Pseudomonas germanica. These results demonstrate that microbes associated with the gut microbiome of a cold-water fish possess plastic-degrading potential and provide insights into how microbial interactions can inhibit bioremediation of plastic pollution in cold-water environments.
IMPORTANCE: Plastic pollution persists in cold, freshwater environments and presents a significant challenge to the ecosystem, where low temperatures slow abiotic degradation, and microbial contributions remain poorly understood and understudied. Here, we isolated 184 microbes from adult Alaskan threespine stickleback guts across six bodies of water and screened for plastic-degradation potential using plate-based assays under both monoculture and co-culture conditions. We identified a stickleback gut-associated microbe that can oxidize polypropylene and identified a second microbe, isolated from the same environment, that can significantly suppress polymer oxidation when in co-culture. Together, these findings demonstrate that microbial interactions influence plastic-degradation abilities and support efforts to identify ecologically relevant microbes or enzymes for bioremediation efforts.
Related
- Chromosome-level genome assembly of the Poitevin stickleback (Pungitius vulgaris)
- Recombination rate and efficiency of linked selection in small and large stickleback populations
- Co-pyrolyzed sawdust–polypropylene biochar as a sustainable adsorbent for heavy-metal removal in wastewater
- Influence of additives on UV-induced degradation of polypropylene: micro and nanoplastic formation and additives release
- Diversity and distribution of potential polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene plastic-degrading bacteria communities in deep-sea cold-seep ecosystems
BibTeX
@article{pasqualetti2026coldwater,
title = {{Cold-water gut isolate from threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) reveals polypropylene surface oxidation and co-culture inhibition}},
author = {Sarah M. Pasqualetti and Jolie Atwood and Abiodun Aderibigbe and Edward Russell and Kayleigh O'Keefe and Victoria Rosario and Kelly Ireland and Kenneth Sparks and Koral Campbell and Ruth Y. Isenberg and Ryan Lucas and Kathryn Milligan-McClellan},
journal = {mSystems},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1128/msystems.00599-26},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00599-26},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Cold-water gut isolate from threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) reveals polypropylene surface oxidation and co-culture inhibition
AU - Sarah M. Pasqualetti
AU - Jolie Atwood
AU - Abiodun Aderibigbe
AU - Edward Russell
AU - Kayleigh O'Keefe
AU - Victoria Rosario
AU - Kelly Ireland
AU - Kenneth Sparks
AU - Koral Campbell
AU - Ruth Y. Isenberg
AU - Ryan Lucas
AU - Kathryn Milligan-McClellan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - mSystems
DO - 10.1128/msystems.00599-26
UR - https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00599-26
AB - Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP), two of the most widely produced plastics in the United States, persist in diverse environments worldwide and may persist longer in cold-water environments where plastic-degrading microbial taxa have been poorly characterized. Understanding how gut microbes interact and contribute to plastic degradation is essential for developing potential microbiome-based bioremediation strategies. We isolated 184 microbes from wild Alaskan threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) guts across six bodies of water and screened them for their plastic-degrading potential using lipase/esterase assays and biofilm formation on PET and PP. We discovered that while some members of the stickleback gut microbiota have high lipase, esterase, and biofilm activity, that activity is enhanced or suppressed by other microbes. Isolates with the highest plastic-degrading potential were incubated in minimal media with PET or PP as the primary carbon source to determine whether plastic degradation occurs. While no detectable changes were observed on PET, surface analysis identified a Pseudomonas trivialis strain that exhibited evidence of PP surface oxidation in monoculture; however, this activity was suppressed in the presence of another gut isolate, Pseudomonas germanica. These results demonstrate that microbes associated with the gut microbiome of a cold-water fish possess plastic-degrading potential and provide insights into how microbial interactions can inhibit bioremediation of plastic pollution in cold-water environments. IMPORTANCE: Plastic pollution persists in cold, freshwater environments and presents a significant challenge to the ecosystem, where low temperatures slow abiotic degradation, and microbial contributions remain poorly understood and understudied. Here, we isolated 184 microbes from adult Alaskan threespine stickleback guts across six bodies of water and screened for plastic-degradation potential using plate-based assays under both monoculture and co-culture conditions. We identified a stickleback gut-associated microbe that can oxidize polypropylene and identified a second microbe, isolated from the same environment, that can significantly suppress polymer oxidation when in co-culture. Together, these findings demonstrate that microbial interactions influence plastic-degradation abilities and support efforts to identify ecologically relevant microbes or enzymes for bioremediation efforts.
SN - 2379-5077
ER -