Data from: Programming aliphatic polyester degradation by engineered bacterial spores

Enzymatic degradation of plastics is a sustainable approach to address the
growing issue of plastic accumulation. Here, we demonstrate the
degradation of aliphatic polyesters using enzyme-displaying bacterial
spores and the fabrication of self-degradable spore-containing plastics.
The degradation proceeds without nutrient-dependent spore germination into
living cells. Engineered spores completely degrade aliphatic polyesters
into small molecules, retain activity through multiple cycles, and regain
full activity through germination and sporulation. We also found that the
interplay between the glass transition temperature and melting temperature
of polyester substrates affects heterogeneous biocatalytic degradation by
engineered spores. Directly incorporating spores into polyesters results
in robust materials that are completely degradable. Our study offers a
straightforward and sustainable biocatalytic approach to plastic
degradation.