Abstract
The global accumulation of petroleum-based plastics, coupled with the vast underutilization of chitin-rich shellfish waste, underscores the need for microbial platforms capable of converting renewable waste streams into biopolymers. Cupriavidus necator, a leading producer of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), cannot naturally degrade chitin, whereas Serratia marcescens possesses a highly efficient chitinolytic system that allows efficient degradation of chitin. This project aims to engineer C. necator with these S. marcescens genes to enable extracellular chitin depolymerization and subsequent assimilation of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) for PHA biosynthesis. The cloned expression vector was created and evaluated in E. coli and subsequently in C. necator to assess functional secretion and chitinase activity using colloidal chitin agar. Together, these experiments aim to permit the transformation of chitin waste into biodegradable bioplastic precursors.