Isolation of Silk Degrading Microorganisms and Its Poly( l -lactide) Degradability

To examine a hypothesis that microorganisms regard poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) as a protein substrate like silk, a silk-utilizing actinomycete, Amycolatopsis sp. strain KT-s-9, was isolated. The strain KT-s-9 was confirmed to degrade and utilize silk fibroin rapidly. By the clear zone method, it was determined that the strain KT-s-9 can also degrade PLLA.