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Ruffolo F, Dinhof T, Murray L, Zangelmi E, Chin JP, Pallitsch K, Peracchi A. The Microbial Degradation of Natural and Anthropogenic Phosphonates. Molecules 2023; 28:6863. [PMID: 37836707 PMCID: PMC10574752 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28196863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Phosphonates are compounds containing a direct carbon-phosphorus (C-P) bond, which is particularly resistant to chemical and enzymatic degradation. They are environmentally ubiquitous: some of them are produced by microorganisms and invertebrates, whereas others derive from anthropogenic activities. Because of their chemical stability and potential toxicity, man-made phosphonates pose pollution problems, and many studies have tried to identify biocompatible systems for their elimination. On the other hand, phosphonates are a resource for microorganisms living in environments where the availability of phosphate is limited; thus, bacteria in particular have evolved systems to uptake and catabolize phosphonates. Such systems can be either selective for a narrow subset of compounds or show a broader specificity. The role, distribution, and evolution of microbial genes and enzymes dedicated to phosphonate degradation, as well as their regulation, have been the subjects of substantial studies. At least three enzyme systems have been identified so far, schematically distinguished based on the mechanism by which the C-P bond is ultimately cleaved-i.e., through either a hydrolytic, radical, or oxidative reaction. This review summarizes our current understanding of the molecular systems and pathways that serve to catabolize phosphonates, as well as the regulatory mechanisms that govern their activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Ruffolo
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, I-43124 Parma, Italy (E.Z.)
| | - Tamara Dinhof
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria;
- Vienna Doctoral School in Chemistry (DoSChem), University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Leanne Murray
- School of Biological Sciences and Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Erika Zangelmi
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, I-43124 Parma, Italy (E.Z.)
| | - Jason P. Chin
- School of Biological Sciences and Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Katharina Pallitsch
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Alessio Peracchi
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, I-43124 Parma, Italy (E.Z.)
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Gao Z, Yi S, Xue M, Zhu K, Yang R, Wang T, Sun H, Zhu L. Microbial biotransformation mechanisms of PFPiAs in soil unveiled by metagenomic analysis. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 448:130896. [PMID: 36764254 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.130896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
As alternatives of long-chain PFASs (Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances), perfluoroalkyl phosphinic acids (PFPiAs) are increasingly observed in the environment, but their environmental behaviors have not been well understood. Here, the microbial biotransformation of C6/C6 and C8/C8 PFPiA in two soils (Soil N and Y) was investigated. After 252 d and 330 d of incubation with PFPiAs in Soil N and Y respectively, the levels of PFPiAs decreased distinctly, accompanied by the increasing perfluorohexaphosphonic acid (PFHxPA) or perfluorooctanophosphonic acid (PFOPA) formation, magnifying PFPiAs were susceptible to C-P cleavage, which was also confirmed by the density functional theory calculations. The half-lives of the PFPiAs were longer than one year, while generally shorter in Soil N than in Soil Y and that of C6/C6 was shorter than C8/C8 PFPiA (392 d and 746 d in Soil N, and 603 and 1155 d in Soil Y, respectively). Metagenomic sequencing analysis revealed that Proteobacteria as the primary host of the potential functional genes related to CP bond cleavage might be the crucial phyla contributing to the biotransformation of PFPiAs. Meanwhile, the more intensive interactions between the microbes in Soil N consistently contribute to its greater capacity for transforming PFPiAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuo Gao
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, PR China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and The Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Shujun Yi
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China
| | - Mengzhu Xue
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, PR China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and The Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Kecheng Zhu
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, PR China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and The Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Rongyan Yang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China
| | - Tiecheng Wang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, PR China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and The Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China
| | - Hongwen Sun
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China
| | - Lingyan Zhu
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, PR China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China.
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3
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Wendels S, Chavez T, Bonnet M, Salmeia KA, Gaan S. Recent Developments in Organophosphorus Flame Retardants Containing P-C Bond and Their Applications. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2017; 10:E784. [PMID: 28773147 PMCID: PMC5551827 DOI: 10.3390/ma10070784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2017] [Revised: 06/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Organophosphorus compounds containing P-C bonds are increasingly developed as flame retardant additives due to their excellent thermal and hydrolytic stability and ease of synthesis. The latest development (since 2010) in organophosphorus flame retardants containing P-C bonds summarized in this review. In this review, we have broadly classified such phosphorus compounds based on the carbon unit linked to the phosphorus atom i.e., could be a part of either an aliphatic or an aromatic unit. We have only considered those published literature where a P-C bond was created as a part of synthetic strategy to make either an intermediate or a final organophosphorus compound with an aim to use it as a flame retardant. General synthetic strategies to create P-C bonds are briefly discussed. Most popular synthetic strategies used for developing P-C containing phosphorus based flame retardants include Michael addition, Michaelis-Arbuzov, Friedels-Crafts and Grignard reactions. In general, most flame retardant derivatives discussed in this review have been prepared via a one- to two-step synthetic strategy with relatively high yields greater than 80%. Specific examples of P-C containing flame retardants synthesized via suitable synthetic strategy and their applications on various polymer systems are described in detail. Aliphatic phosphorus compounds being liquids or low melting solids are generally applied in polymers via coatings (cellulose) or are incorporated in the bulk of the polymers (epoxy, polyurethanes) during their polymerization as reactive or non-reactive additives. Substituents on the P atoms and the chemistry of the polymer matrix greatly influence the flame retardant behavior of these compounds (condensed phase vs. the gas phase). Recently, aromatic DOPO based phosphinate flame retardants have been developed with relatively higher thermal stabilities (>250 °C). Such compounds have potential as flame retardants for high temperature processable polymers such as polyesters and polyamides. A vast variety of P-C bond containing efficient flame retardants are being developed; however, further work in terms of their economical synthetic methods, detailed impact on mechanical properties and processability, long term durability and their toxicity and environmental impact is much needed for their potential commercial exploitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Wendels
- Additives and Chemistry Group, Advanced Fibers, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland.
| | - Thiebault Chavez
- Additives and Chemistry Group, Advanced Fibers, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland.
| | - Martin Bonnet
- Additives and Chemistry Group, Advanced Fibers, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland.
| | - Khalifah A Salmeia
- Additives and Chemistry Group, Advanced Fibers, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland.
| | - Sabyasachi Gaan
- Additives and Chemistry Group, Advanced Fibers, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland.
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Abstract
Organophosphonic acids are unique as natural products in terms of stability and mimicry. The C-P bond that defines these compounds resists hydrolytic cleavage, while the phosphonyl group is a versatile mimic of transition-states, intermediates, and primary metabolites. This versatility may explain why a variety of organisms have extensively explored the use organophosphonic acids as bioactive secondary metabolites. Several of these compounds, such as fosfomycin and bialaphos, figure prominently in human health and agriculture. The enzyme reactions that create these molecules are an interesting mix of chemistry that has been adopted from primary metabolism as well as those with no chemical precedent. Additionally, the phosphonate moiety represents a source of inorganic phosphate to microorganisms that live in environments that lack this nutrient; thus, unusual enzyme reactions have also evolved to cleave the C-P bond. This review is a comprehensive summary of the occurrence and function of organophosphonic acids natural products along with the mechanisms of the enzymes that synthesize and catabolize these molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoff P Horsman
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University , Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5, Canada
| | - David L Zechel
- Department of Chemistry, Queen's University , Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
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Sviridov AV, Shushkova TV, Ermakova IT, Ivanova EV, Epiktetov DO, Leontievsky AA. Microbial degradation of glyphosate herbicides (Review). APPL BIOCHEM MICRO+ 2015. [DOI: 10.1134/s0003683815020209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Kamat SS, Raushel FM. The enzymatic conversion of phosphonates to phosphate by bacteria. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2013; 17:589-96. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2013.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2013] [Revised: 05/31/2013] [Accepted: 06/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Agarwal V, Borisova SA, Metcalf WW, van der Donk WA, Nair SK. Structural and mechanistic insights into C-P bond hydrolysis by phosphonoacetate hydrolase. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 18:1230-40. [PMID: 22035792 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2011.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2011] [Revised: 06/24/2011] [Accepted: 07/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria have evolved pathways to metabolize phosphonates as a nutrient source for phosphorus. In Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021, 2-aminoethylphosphonate is catabolized to phosphonoacetate, which is converted to acetate and inorganic phosphate by phosphonoacetate hydrolase (PhnA). Here we present detailed biochemical and structural characterization of PhnA that provides insights into the mechanism of C-P bond cleavage. The 1.35 Å resolution crystal structure reveals a catalytic core similar to those of alkaline phosphatases and nucleotide pyrophosphatases but with notable differences, such as a longer metal-metal distance. Detailed structure-guided analysis of active site residues and four additional cocrystal structures with phosphonoacetate substrate, acetate, phosphonoformate inhibitor, and a covalently bound transition state mimic provide insight into active site features that may facilitate cleavage of the C-P bond. These studies expand upon the array of reactions that can be catalyzed by enzymes of the alkaline phosphatase superfamily.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinayak Agarwal
- Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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Sviridov AV, Shushkova TV, Zelenkova NF, Vinokurova NG, Morgunov IG, Ermakova IT, Leontievsky AA. Distribution of glyphosate and methylphosphonate catabolism systems in soil bacteria Ochrobactrum anthropi and Achromobacter sp. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2012; 93:787-96. [PMID: 21789492 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-011-3485-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2011] [Revised: 06/30/2011] [Accepted: 07/13/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial strains capable of utilizing methylphosphonic acid (MP) or glyphosate (GP) as the sole sources of phosphorus were isolated from soils contaminated with these organophosphonates. The strains isolated from MP-contaminated soils grew on MP and failed to grow on GP. One group of the isolates from GP-contaminated soils grew only on MP, while the other one grew on MP and GP. Strains Achromobacter sp. MPS 12 (VKM B-2694), MP degraders group, and Ochrobactrum anthropi GPK 3 (VKM B-2554D), GP degraders group, demonstrated the best degradative capabilities towards MP and GP, respectively, and were studied for the distribution of their organophosphonate catabolism systems. In Achromobacter sp. MPS 12, degradation of MP was catalyzed by C-P lyase incapable of degrading GP (C-P lyase I). Adaptation to growth on GP yielded the strain Achromobacter sp. MPS 12A, which retained its ability to degrade MP via C-P lyase I and was capable of degrading GP with formation of sarcosine, thus suggesting the involvement of a GP-specific C-P lyase II. O. anthropi GPK 3 also degraded MP via C-P lyase I, but degradation of GP in it was initiated by glyphosate oxidoreductase, which was followed by product transformation via the phosphonatase pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey V Sviridov
- G.K. Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect Nauki 5, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia
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Martínez A, Osburne MS, Sharma AK, DeLong EF, Chisholm SW. Phosphite utilization by the marine picocyanobacterium Prochlorococcus MIT9301. Environ Microbiol 2011; 14:1363-77. [PMID: 22004069 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2011.02612.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Primary productivity in the ocean's oligotrophic regions is often limited by phosphorus (P) availability. In low phosphate environments, the prevalence of many genes involved in P acquisition is elevated, suggesting that the ability to effectively access diverse P sources is advantageous for organisms inhabiting these regions. Prochlorococcus, the numerically dominant primary producer in the oligotrophic ocean, encodes high-affinity P transporters, P regulatory proteins and enzymes for organic phosphate utilization, but its ability to use reduced P compounds has not been previously demonstrated. Because Prochlorococcus strain MIT9301 encodes genes similar to phnY and phnZ, which constitute a novel marine bacterial 2-aminoethylphosphonate (2-AEPn) utilization pathway, it has been suggested that this organism might use 2-AEPn as an alternative P source. We show here that although MIT9301 was unable to use 2-AEPn as a sole P source under standard culture conditions, it was able to use phosphite. Phosphite utilization by MIT9301 appears to be mediated by an NAD-dependent phosphite dehydrogenase encoded by ptxD. We show that phosphite utilization genes are present in diverse marine microbes and that their abundance is higher in low-P waters. These results strongly suggest that phosphite represents a previously unrecognized component of the marine P cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asunción Martínez
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Division of Biological Engineering Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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10
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Ford JL, Kaakoush NO, Mendz GL. Phosphonate metabolism in Helicobacter pylori. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 2009; 97:51-60. [PMID: 19842056 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-009-9387-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2009] [Accepted: 10/07/2009] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Helicobacter pylori has been shown to degrade two phosphonates, N-phosphonoacetyl-L: -aspartate and phosphonoacetate; however, the bacterium does not have any genes homologous to those of the known phosphonate metabolism pathways suggesting that H. pylori may have a novel phosphonate metabolism pathway. Growth of H. pylori on phosphonates was studied and the catabolism of these compounds was measured employing (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The specificity of the catabolic enzymes was elucidated by assaying the degradation of several phosphonates and through substrate competition studies. H. pylori was able to utilise phenylphosphonate as a sole source of phosphate for growth. Three strains of H. pylori showed sigmoidal enzyme kinetics of phenylphosphonate catabolism. Allosteric kinetics were removed when lysates were fractionated into cytosolic and membrane fractions. Catabolic rates increased with the addition of DTT, Mg(2+) and phosphate and decreased with the addition of EDTA. The physiological properties of H. pylori phosphonate metabolism were characterised and the presence of at least two novel phosphonate catabolism pathways that do not require phosphate starvation growth conditions for activity has been established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin L Ford
- School of Medicine, Sydney, The University of Notre Dame Australia, 160 Oxford St, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea K. White
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Chico, California 95928-0515;
| | - William W. Metcalf
- Department of Microbiology and Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801;
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13
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Chen CCH, Han Y, Niu W, Kulakova AN, Howard A, Quinn JP, Dunaway-Mariano D, Herzberg O. Structure and kinetics of phosphonopyruvate hydrolase from Variovorax sp. Pal2: new insight into the divergence of catalysis within the PEP mutase/isocitrate lyase superfamily. Biochemistry 2006; 45:11491-504. [PMID: 16981709 DOI: 10.1021/bi061208l] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Phosphonopyruvate (P-pyr) hydrolase (PPH), a member of the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) mutase/isocitrate lyase (PEPM/ICL) superfamily, hydrolyzes P-pyr and shares the highest sequence identity and functional similarity with PEPM. Recombinant PPH from Variovorax sp. Pal2 was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. Analytical gel filtration indicated that the protein exists in solution predominantly as a tetramer. The PPH pH rate profile indicates maximal activity over a broad pH range. The steady-state kinetic constants determined for a rapid equilibrium ordered kinetic mechanism with Mg2+ binding first (Kd = 140 +/- 40 microM), are kcat = 105 +/- 2 s(-1) and P-pyr Km = 5 +/- 1 microM. PEP (slow substrate kcat = 2 x 10(-4) s(-1)), oxalate, and sulfopyruvate are competitive inhibitors with Ki values of 2.0 +/- 0.1 mM, 17 +/- 1 microM, and 210 +/- 10 microM, respectively. Three PPH crystal structures have been determined, that of a ligand-free enzyme, the enzyme bound to Mg2+ and oxalate (inhibitor), and the enzyme bound to Mg2+ and P-pyr (substrate). The complex with the inhibitor was obtained by cocrystallization, whereas that with the substrate was obtained by briefly soaking crystals of the ligand-free enzyme with P-pyr prior to flash cooling. The PPH structure resembles that of the other members of the PEPM/ICL superfamily and is most similar to the functionally related enzyme, PEPM. Each monomer of the dimer of dimers exhibits an (alpha/beta)8 barrel fold with the eighth helix swapped between two molecules of the dimer. Both P-pyr and oxalate are anchored to the active site by Mg2+. The loop capping the active site is disordered in all three structures, in contrast to PEPM, where the equivalent loop adopts an open or disordered conformation in the unbound state but sequesters the inhibitor from solvent in the bound state. Crystal packing may have favored the open conformation of PPH even when the enzyme was cocrystallized with the oxalate inhibitor. Structure alignment of PPH with other superfamily members revealed two pairs of invariant or conservatively replaced residues that anchor the flexible gating loop. The proposed PPH catalytic mechanism is analogous to that of PEPM but includes activation of a water nucleophile with the loop Thr118 residue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celia C H Chen
- Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA
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Mendz GL, Mégraud F, Korolik V. Phosphonate catabolism by Campylobacter spp. Arch Microbiol 2005; 183:113-20. [PMID: 15647906 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-004-0752-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2004] [Revised: 11/17/2004] [Accepted: 12/01/2004] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The catabolism of phosphonates (Phn) by Campylobacter spp. was investigated employing nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and cell culture techniques. The bacteria were capable of cleaving the Phn bonds of different compounds, including alpha-aminomethylphosphonate, phosphonoacetate and phenylphosphonate (PhePhn). The kinetic parameters of these activities were determined in vivo in intact cells and in situ in whole-cell lysates. Cleavage of Phn-bearing compounds was associated with the cell-wall and cytosolic fractions. Results from substrate competition experiments suggested that at least two enzyme activities appeared to be involved in the cleavage of carbon-phosphate (C-P) bonds. In silico analyses indicated that no genes orthologous to those encoding C-P bond-cleaving enzymes in other bacteria were present in the Campylobacter jejuni genome. In most bacteria studied, Phn catabolism is induced under conditions of phosphate limitation; however, in Campylobacter spp. these activities were expressed in cells grown in media rich in phosphate. In chemically defined media, PhePhn supported bacterial growth and proliferation at concentrations above 100 microM in the absence of phosphate. Thus, Phn utilisation may be a survival mechanism of Campylobacter spp. in milieux lacking sufficient phosphate. The expression of these enzyme activities in media abundant in phosphate suggested also that they may have other physiological roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- George L Mendz
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
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Kulakova AN, Wisdom GB, Kulakov LA, Quinn JP. The purification and characterization of phosphonopyruvate hydrolase, a novel carbon-phosphorus bond cleavage enzyme from Variovorax sp Pal2. J Biol Chem 2003; 278:23426-31. [PMID: 12697754 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m301871200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Phosphonopyruvate hydrolase, a novel bacterial carbon-phosphorus bond cleavage enzyme, was purified to homogeneity by a series of chromatographic steps from cell extracts of a newly isolated environmental strain of Variovorax sp. Pal2. The enzyme was inducible in the presence of phosphonoalanine or phosphonopyruvate; unusually, its expression was independent of the phosphate status of the cell. The native enzyme had a molecular mass of 63 kDa with a subunit mass of 31.2 kDa. Activity of purified phosphonopyruvate hydrolase was Co2+-dependent and showed a pH optimum of 6.7-7.0. The enzyme had a Km of 0.53 mm for its sole substrate, phosphonopyruvate, and was inhibited by the analogues phosphonoformic acid, 3-phosphonopropionic acid, and hydroxymethylphosphonic acid. The nucleotide sequence of the phosphonopyruvate hydrolase structural gene indicated that it is a member of the phosphoenolpyruvate phosphomutase/isocitrate lyase superfamily with 41% identity at the amino acid level to the carbon-to-phosphorus bond-forming enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate phosphomutase from Tetrahymena pyriformis. Thus its apparently ancient evolutionary origins differ from those of each of the two carbon-phosphorus hydrolases that have been reported previously; phosphonoacetaldehyde hydrolase is a member of the haloacetate dehalogenase family, whereas phosphonoacetate hydrolase belongs to the alkaline phosphatase superfamily of zinc-dependent hydrolases. Phosphonopyruvate hydrolase is likely to be of considerable significance in global phosphorus cycling, because phosphonopyruvate is known to be a key intermediate in the formation of all naturally occurring compounds that contain the carbon-phosphorus bond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna N Kulakova
- School of Biology and Biochemistry, Medical Biology Centre, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland
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Obojska A, Ternan NG, Lejczak B, Kafarski P, McMullan G. Organophosphonate utilization by the thermophile Geobacillus caldoxylosilyticus T20. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002; 68:2081-4. [PMID: 11916738 PMCID: PMC123905 DOI: 10.1128/aem.68.4.2081-2084.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2001] [Accepted: 01/25/2002] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A strain of Geobacillus caldoxylosilyticus from central heating system water could utilize a number of organophosphonates as the sole phosphorus source for growth at 60 degrees C. During growth on glyphosate, aminomethylphosphonate release to the medium was observed, and in cell extracts, a glyphosate oxidoreductase-type activity, producing stoichiometric amounts of aminomethylphosphonate and glyoxylate from glyphosate, was detectable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Obojska
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Wrocław University of Technology, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
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