Bacterial Polyesters: Biosynthesis, Biodegradable Plastics and Biotechnology
Abstract
The discovery and chemical identification, in the 1920s, of the aliphatic polyester: poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), PHB, as a granular component in bacterial cells proceeded without any of the controversies which marked the recognition of macromolecules by Staudinger. Some thirty years after its discovery, PHB was recognized as the prototypical biodegradable thermoplastic to solve the waste disposal challenge. The development effort led by Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd., encouraged interdisciplinary research from genetic engineering and biotechnology to the study of enzymes involved in biosynthesis and biodegradation. From the simple PHB homopolyester discovered by Maurice Lemoigne in the mid-twenties, a family of over 100 different aliphatic polyesters of the same general structure has been discovered. Depending on bacterial species and substrates, these high molecular weight stereoregular polyesters have emerged as a new family of natural polymers ranking with nucleic acids, polyamides, polyisoprenoids, polyphenols, polyphosphates, and polysaccharides. In this historical review, the chemical, biochemical and microbial highlights are linked to personalities and locations involved with the events covering a discovery timespan of 75 years.
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PHAs are naturally produced by various bacteria but only isotactic microstructures are made biologically.
“PHAs are naturally produced by various bacteria (section 3.3) but only isotactic microstructures are made biologically.317”
From Catalysis as an Enabling Science for Sustainable Polymers (2018) · cites this paper as [317]
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- Authors
- Lenz, R. W., & Marchessault, R. H.
- Affiliations
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lenz, Robert W.
- Venue
- Biomacromolecules
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2004-11-23
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1-8
- ISSN
- 1525-7797 (ISSN-L)
- 1526-4602
- OpenAlex
- W2067182728
- Cited by
- 780
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 51 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 37 · 2018: 28 · 2017: 37 · 2016: 45 · 2015: 44 · 2014: 42 · 2013: 54 · 2012: 43
- FWCI
- 10.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Biomacromolecules (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microbial bioremediation and biosurfactants
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Polymers and Plastics › Polymer crystallization and properties
- Keywords
- bacterial polyesters, polyhydroxybutyrate, aliphatic polyesters, biodegradable plastics, polyester biodegradation, stereoregular polymers, natural polymers, genetic engineering of bacteria, biotechnology
- MeSH terms
- Bacteria, Biodegradation, Environmental, Biotechnology, Genetic Engineering, Molecular Weight, Polyesters, Polymers, 3-Hydroxybutyric Acid, History, 20th Century
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