An international research team has identified more than 600,000 microbial proteins capable of degrading natural and synthetic plastics, revealing a much broader potential than previously known. The study, which introduces the Plastic Degrading Clusters of Orthologous Groups (PDCOG) database, indicates that more than 95% of prokaryotic species have at least one gene with the potential to degrade plastic polymers.
Schematic representation of bacteria producing an enzyme that degrades a plastic polymer.
Plastic pollution is a growing environmental threat, particularly due to the accumulation of micro- and nanoplastic particles in marine, freshwater, terrestrial, and polar ecosystems. Although hundreds of degrading enzymes have been described in individual species, the global distribution and evolutionary conservation of these proteins were still unclear.
A study by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), La Salle-URL, the University of Turku (UTU, Finland), and the Institute of Science Tokyo (IST, Japan) shows that more than 95% of prokaryotic species have at least one gene with the potential to degrade natural or synthetic plastic polymers, representing an extraordinarily widespread ecological capacity to respond to plastic pollution.
“Our results show that the potential for plastic biodegradation is not limited to a few specialized microbes but is nearly universal,” says Pere Puigbò, UAB researcher and co-author of the study. “This suggests that microbial communities around the world already possess the molecular tools needed to respond to plastic pollution.”
The international MicroWorld project, under which the study was conducted, has created the most comprehensive resource to date on microbial plastic biodegradation: the Plastic Degrading Clusters of Orthologous Groups (PDCOG), a database containing 625,616 potentially plastic-degrading proteins classified into 51 orthologous groups. This global catalog provides an unprecedented view of how bacteria and archaea can contribute to the degradation of microplastics and nanoplastics across diverse ecosystems.
Environmental adaptation shapes the microbial capacity to degrade plastics.
The PDCOG classifies proteins associated with the degradation of 11 natural polymers and 28 synthetic ones. Their global distribution across 23 types of environments —from deep ocean sediments to soils, hot springs, and polar regions— shows that biodegradation potential is strongly influenced by local ecological conditions. Some habitats, such as soils and endolithic ecosystems, are particularly enriched in degrading enzymes, indicating local ecological adaptation.
“The microbial capacity to degrade plastics is not only widespread: it is clearly shaped by the environment, and many habitats show strong enrichment in specific enzymatic families,” explains Kari Saikkonen, UTU researcher and co-author of the study.
From a materials and applications perspective, these findings show how microbial adaptation can inspire new technological solutions. Identifying which enzymes thrive in specific habitats and under particular ecological pressures provides guidance for designing materials and technologies optimized for local environmental conditions.
“This resource offers a global view of the biodegradation potential encoded in nature. Understanding how microbes adapt to their environments allows us to design new materials and biotechnological solutions aligned with natural processes,” says Miho Nakamura (La Salle-URL / UTU / IST), co-author of the study.
Reference article: Mustari S, Pham LT, Saikkonen K, Nakamura M, Puigbò P (2026) “Plastic-degrading clusters of orthologous groups reveal near-universal biodegradation potential in prokaryotes.” Environmental Technology & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2026.104872
The PDCOG database is available at: https://phylobone.com/microworld/PDCOG
