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Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), composed of terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG), is the most commonly produced polyester. Unrecycled PET waste causes serious environmental problems. To increase the PET recycling rate, the upcycling of PET into products that are higher value than PET is desired. In this study, the feasibility of biological valorization of PET for its upcycling was experimentally evaluated. Among the two monomers obtained from the chemical hydrolysis of PET, TPA w

Expansin is a plant protein family that induces plant cell wall-loosening and cellulose disruption without exerting cellulose-hydrolytic activity. Expansin-like proteins have also been found in other eukaryotes such as nematodes and fungi. While searching for an expansin produced by bacteria, we found that the BsEXLX1 protein from Bacillus subtilis had a structure that was similar to that of a beta-expansin produced by maize. Therefore, we cloned the BsEXLX1 gene and expressed it in Escherichia

Metabolome sampling is one of the most important factors that determine the quality of metabolomics data. The main steps in metabolite sample preparation include quenching and metabolite extraction. Quenching with 60% (v/v) cold methanol at -40 °C has been most commonly used for Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and this method was recently modified as "leakage-free cold methanol quenching" using pure methanol at -40 °C. Boiling ethanol (75%, v/v) and cold pure methanol are the most widely used extracti

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) has been widely used in various industries due to its unique physical properties. However, PET causes major environmental problems globally due to its low degradability and recycling rate. Since it is nearly impossible to replace PET with other materials, an efficient approach for PET recycling is necessary for a circular economy. Herein, for a paradigm shift toward the approach for resource recovery of PET components, we developed an integrated process for dep

BACKGROUND: 2'-Fucosyllactose (2-FL), one of the most abundant oligosaccharides in human milk, has potential applications in foods due to its health benefits such as the selective promotion of bifidobacterial growth and the inhibition of pathogenic microbial binding to the human gut. Owing to the limited amounts of 2-FL in human milk, alternative microbial production of 2-FL is considered promising. To date, microbial production of 2-FL has been studied mostly in Escherichia coli. In this study,

Marine algae are considered to be an abundant sources of bioactive compounds with cosmeceutical potential. Recently, a great deal of interest has focused on the health-promoting effects of marine bioactive compounds. Carbohydrates are the major and abundant constituent of marine algae and have been utilized in cosmetic formulations, as moisturizing and thickening agents for example. In addition, marine carbohydrates have been suggested as promising bioactive biomaterials for their various proper