Nature is resourceful as microorganisms produce enzymes that can degrade a large variety of natural as well as non-natural polymers. Natural polymer utilization is key to proliferation and survival of microorganisms in their natural environment. Moreover, enzymes involved in natural polymer degradation may exhibit degrees of substrate promiscuity, which allows them to degrade specific non-natural substrates. In a varying environment, such substrate promiscuity may lead to adaptation and evolution of enzyme specificity towards new substrates.

In this umbrella research program we embark on a journey to learn from nature and tap into nature's toolbox to degrade and upcycle natural as well as non-natural polymers. Efficient degradation and utilization of natural lignin requires the action of various specific enzymes. Degradation, remediation and upcycling of many types of plastic requires characterization and engineering of existing as well as new-to-nature enzymes. Ultimately, we aim to engineer novel microbial cell factories for the succesful remediation and valorization of natural and non-natural polymeric materials.

Publications:

• M Ren, D Li, H Addison, WEM Noteborn, EH Andeweg, T Glatter, JH de Winde, JG Rebelein, MH Lamers, L Schada von Borzyskowski (2025) NAD-dependent dehydrogenases enable efficient growth of Paracoccus denitrificans on the PET monomer ethylene glycol. Nature Communications 16, 5845. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61056-x
• Q Zhou, A Franssen, JH de Winde (2025) Lignin-degrading enzymes and the potential of Pseudomonas putida as a cell factory for lignin degradation and valorization. Microorganisms 13, 935. doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13040935
• JA Verschoor, MRJ Croese, SE Lakemeier, A Mugge, CMC Burgers, P Innocenti, J Willemse, ME Crooijmans, GP van Wezel, AFJ Ram and JH de Winde (2024) Polyester degradation by soil bacteria: identification of conserved BHETase-like enzymes in Streptomyces. Nature Communications Biology 7, 725. doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-06414-z
• JA Verschoor, H Kusumawardhani, AFJ Ram and JH de Winde (2022) Towards microbial recycling and upcycling of plastics: prospects and challenges. Frontiers in Microbiology, 13, e821629. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.821629
• H Kusumawhardani, R Hosseini and JH de Winde (2018) Solvent tolerance in bacteria; fulfilling the promise of the Biotech Era ? Invited Review Article, Trends in Biotechnology (Cell) 36, 1025-1039. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2018.04.007

• biodiversity
• environmental sustainability
• microbial biotechnolgy
• microbial cell factory
• polymers
• synthetic biology

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