Phenylpropanoid methyl esterase unlocks catabolism of aromatic biological nitrification inhibitors.

ABSTRACT: Microbial nitrification of fertilizers represents is a significant global source of greenhouse gas emissions. This process increases emissions, fosters toxic algal blooms, and raises crop production costs. Some plants naturally release biological nitrification inhibitors to suppress ammonium-oxidizing microbes and reduce nitrification. Engineering nitrification inhibitor production into food and bioenergy crops via synthetic biology offers a promising mitigation strategy, but its success depends on addressing gaps in our understanding of inhibitor degradation in soil. This study begins to fill this gap by identifying a previously unknown microbial pathway for degrading phenylpropanoid methyl esters, a key class of aromatic nitrification inhibitors. Using transcriptomics and high-throughput

SUBMITTER: Wilson A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12642758 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature