Researchers have combined three biochemical pathways to produce a biodegradable plastic from glucose in the laboratory.

Some industrial chemicals are made by microorganisms in bioreactors, but reengineering the organisms' metabolic pathways to boost yields is challenging, so researchers are keen to find cell-free production methods. Polyhydroxybutyrate bioplastic (PHB) can be made without cells, but the process requires expensive starting materials. To lower costs, James Bowie and his colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles, devised a cell-free way to make PHB out of glucose. They designed a synthetic biochemical cycle comprising parts of three enzyme-driven pathways. Using two different concentrations of glucose, the team generated PHB at 86% and 94% yields. The yields and production rates were close to those required by industry.

With further improvements, this synthetic biochemistry approach could be used to produce chemicals at low cost, the authors say.

Nature Chem. Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.2062 (2016)