Bisphenol A (BPA) is a commonly found endocrine disrupting chemical in surface water and drinking water that poses risk to human and environmental health. While many physicochemical approaches, such as photooxidation, advanced oxidation, and electrochemical degradation, are available for BPA degradation, these options are energy intensive and not suitable for widespread in situ treatment. Biodegradation provides a low-cost and in situ treatment alternative; however, this strategy strongly depends on indigenous microorganisms and local biogeochemical conditions. In this study, we developed a novel BPA biodegradation approach using vault nanoparticles packaged with manganese peroxidase (MnP). The rapid MnP-mediated degradation of BPA has been previously reported. However, limited enzyme stability strongly restricts its application in the field. Vault nanoparticles are classified as ribonucleoproteins, and commonly found in various eukaryotes with a highly conserved barrel shape. Consequently, they are plausible candidates to package enzymes in a benign vehicle, and provide a safe approach for sustaining biodegradation without the need for frequent replenishment of enzymes. Furthermore, packaged vaults can be integrated into point-of-use as well as municipal water treatment systems. MnP packaged in vaults showed significantly higher thermal stability than the unpackaged enzymes, with slightly increased Km values. Furthermore, vault-packaged MnP exhibited 3 times higher BPA degradation than free MnP in 24 hours. These results indicate that vault nanoparticles packaging will extend MnP stability without compromising its catalytic activity. This research will serve as the foundation for the development of novel and sustainable vault-based bioremediation approaches for BPA as well as other emerging contaminants.

Efficient biodegradation of bisphenol a by enzymes packaged in vault nanoparticles

251st National Meeting (2016)

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