Degradation of Polyvinyl Alcohol by Brevibacillus laterosporus: metabolic Pathway of Polyvinyl Alcohol to Acetate

Approximately 0.1 mg/ml of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was degraded by the growing cell, Brevibacillus laterospours, for 30 h, and 0.2 mg/ml of PVA was degraded by the cell-free extract that was isolated from Brevibacillus laterosporus. Approximately $0.29{\mu}g$/ml of acetic acid was produced from PVA by using the cell-free extract as a catalyst for 40 min. $V_{max}\;and\;K_m$ value of purified PAV-degradation enzyme was 3.75g/l and 2.75 g/l/min in reaction with EDTA and 3.99 g/l and 2.98 g/l/min in reaction without EDTA, respectively. Molecular weight of the purified enzyme determined by SDS-PAGE was 63,000 Da. Alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase activities were qualitatively detected on a native acrylamide gel by an active staining method, indicating the existence of the metabolic pathway to use PVA as a substrate.