Utilization of glyphosate as phosphate source: biochemistry and genetics of bacterial carbon-phosphorus lyase.

ABSTRACT: After several decades of use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in weed killers such as Roundup, in fields, forests, and gardens, the biochemical pathway of transformation of glyphosate phosphorus to a useful phosphorus source for microorganisms has been disclosed. Glyphosate is a member of a large group of chemicals, phosphonic acids or phosphonates, which are characterized by a carbon-phosphorus bond. This is in contrast to the general phosphorus compounds utilized and metabolized by microorganisms. Here phosphorus is found as phosphoric acid or phosphate ion, phosphoric acid esters, or phosphoric acid anhydrides. The latter compounds contain phosphorus that is bound only to oxygen. Hydrolytic, oxidative, and radical-based mechanisms for carbon-phosphorus bond cleavage have been descri

SUBMITTER: Hove-Jensen B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3957732 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature