Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Hydrolysis of polyesters by lipases

Abstract

INCREASING public concern about the treatment of waste materials has stimulated the study of the biodegradation of synthetic polymers. Among synthetic polymers, aliphatic polyesters are generally known to be susceptible to biological attack1–5, but there are few reports of enzymes involved in their degradation. Bell et al.6 recently showed that the molecular weight of polycaprolactone (PCL) decreases on exposure to the acid protease from Rhizopus chinensis for 6–10 d (decreasing from 13,000 to 10,000). In addition, Tabushi et al.7 have found that polyesters composed of phenyllactic acid and lactic acid are hydrolysed by α-chymotrypsin. We showed previously that a polyester-degrading enzyme from Penicillium sp. strain 14-3, purified to a homogeneous state as exhibited by ultracentrifugal analysis and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, has properties resembling lipase8. It was not previously recognised that lipase acts on polyesters. We report here that several commercial lipases and an esterase also hydrolyse polyesters, and that Rh. delemar lipase is capable of hydrolysing various kinds of polyesters.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Darby, R. T. & Kaplan, A. M. Appl. Microbiol. 16, 900–905 (1968).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Potts, J. E., Clendinning, R. A., Ackart, W. B. & Niegisch, W. D. Am. chem. Soc., Polymer Preprints 13, 629–632 (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Fields, R. D., Rodriguez, F. & Finn, R. K. J. appl. Polym. Sci. 18, 3571–3579 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Diamond, M. J., Freedman, B. & Garibaldi, J. A. Int. Biodetn Bull. 11, 127–132 (1975).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Tokiwa, Y., Ando, T. & Suzuki, T. J. Ferment. Technol. 54, 603–608 (1976).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Bell, J. P., Huang, S. J. & Knox, J. R. U. S. NTIS, AD-A Rep. No. 009577 (1974).

  7. Tabushi, I., Yamada, H., Matsuzaki, H. & Furukawa, J. J. Polym. Sci. Polym. Lett. Ed. 13, 447–450 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Tokiwa, Y. & Suzuki, T. Agric. biol. Chem. 41, 265–274 (1977).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Lunberg, R. D., Koleske, J. V. & Wischmann, K. B. J. Polym. Sci. A-1, 7, 2915–2930 (1969).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Yamashita, Y., Tuda, T., Ishikawa, Y. & Miura, S. J. chem. Soc. Japan, Ind. Chem. Sec. 66, 110–115 (1963).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Carothers, W. H. & Arvin, J. A. J. Am. chem. Soc. 51, 2560–2570 (1929).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Batzer, H., Holtschmidt, H., Wiloth, F. & Mohr, B. Makromol. Chem. 7, 82–103 (1951).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

TOKIWA, Y., SUZUKI, T. Hydrolysis of polyesters by lipases. Nature 270, 76–78 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/270076a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/270076a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing