Procedure for isolation of the plastic degrading piezophilic bacteria from deep-sea environments

A procedure for the isolation of aliphatic polyester-degrading bacteria from deep-sea environments was developed using three step high-pressure cultivation. First, the sediments collected from the deep-sea floor, the Kurile and Japan Trenches at a depth of 5000-7000 m, were cultivated with poly e-caprolactone (PCL) films under low-temperature (4°C) and high-pressure (50MPa) conditions. Secondly, high-pressure continuous cultivation using the deep-sea baro-piezophile and thermophile isolation and cultivation (DEEPBATH) system was performed three times to accumulate piezophilic bacteria. Finally, piezophilic PCL degrading bacteria were isolated using the pressure bag method involving media with PCL granules. Using this procedure, we succeeded in isolating several piezophilic aliphatic polyester-degrading bacteria from the sediment samples of deep-trenches.