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Access through your institution Buy or subscribe Plant cell walls contain the aromatic polymer lignin, which is considered as a sustainable source for synthetic biology applications.
Biological conversion of lignin depends on specific enzymes, which are mainly secreted by fungi. However, bacteria may also possess the ability to depolymerize lignin as a carbon and energy
source. Hettich, Beckham and colleagues showed that the exoproteome of the soil bacteria _Pseudomonas putida_ KT2440 is distinct from the intracellular proteins in lignin-rich media.
Moreover, they reported the secretion of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) to the extracellular milieu in the presence of lignin, and that the OMVs encapsulate enzymes involved in the
catabolism of lignin-derived aromatics, and the activity of those enzymes was confirmed in a functional assay. Thus, OMV-mediated secretion of functional sets of enzymes might be suitable to
improve microbial lignin conversion in the synthetic biology and biotechnological settings. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access
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support REFERENCES ORIGINAL ARTICLE * Salvachúa, D., Werner, A. Z., Pardo, I., Michalska, M. et al. Outer membrane vesicles catabolize lignin-derived aromatic compounds in _Pseudomonas
putida_ KT2440. _Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA_ https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1921073117 (2020) Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Nature Reviews Microbiology
http://www.nature.com/nrmicro/ Andrea Du Toit Authors * Andrea Du Toit View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Correspondence to Andrea Du Toit. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Du Toit, A. Breaking away to break down. _Nat Rev Microbiol_ 18, 316
(2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-020-0369-0 Download citation * Published: 22 April 2020 * Issue Date: June 2020 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-020-0369-0 SHARE THIS ARTICLE
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