CAREER: Mechanistic Studies of Phosphonate Biosynthesis and Degradation

职业：磷酸盐生物合成和降解的机理研究

• 批准号: 0748504
• 负责人: Pinghua Liu
• 金额: $ 57万
• 依托单位: Trustees of Boston University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-02-01 至 2013-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0748504&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Mechanistic; Studies; Phosphonate; Biosynthesis

This CAREER award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports work by Professor Pinghua Liu at Boston University to study the biosynthesis and biodegradation of phosphonates (C-P bond containing compounds). Phosphonates exist widely in nature and many have biological functions. In addition, because of the wide use of man-made phosphonates (e.g., pesticides, agricultural insecticides) and the extremely inert nature of the C-P bond, phosphonates have accumulated in the environment and are a major source of both land and water pollution. To date, there is only one characterized C-P bond formation enzyme, phosphoenolpyruvate isomerase. The enzyme to be studied in this project, BcpD, is the second enzyme capable of catalyzing the C-P bond formation. Specifically, the roles of two cofactors, the iron-sulfur cluster and cobalamin are being investigated. These mechanistic studies in the first part of the proposed effort will enable the design of methods for phosphonate profiling (identities and concentration of phosphonates in a cell). The second half of the work will identify genes responsible for phosphonate degradation in bacteria, which will eventually allow the development of green chemistr to degrade pollutants using bioengineering. The research is integrated into the PI's educational activities, which aim at addressing significant issues in the training of the next generation of bioscientists, specifically: 1) their need to acquire a global perspective of the technical challenges faced by society, e.g., environmental protection; 2) the creation of opportunities for the early participation of high school and undergraduate students in the sciences; and 3) the need for the interdisciplinary training of scientists to better equip them to address the 21st century's chemical, biological, and technological challenges.

该无机、生物无机和有机金属化学项目的职业奖支持波士顿大学刘平华教授研究膦酸盐（含 C-P 键的化合物）的生物合成和生物降解的工作。 膦酸盐在自然界中广泛存在，许多具有生物学功能。 此外，由于人造膦酸盐（例如杀虫剂、农用杀虫剂）的广泛使用以及C-P键的极惰性性质，膦酸盐在环境中积累，是土地和水污染的主要来源。 迄今为止，只有一种具有特征的 C-P 键形成酶，即磷酸烯醇丙酮酸异构酶。 本项目要研究的酶 BcpD 是第二种能够催化 C-P 键形成的酶。 具体来说，正在研究两种辅助因子铁硫簇和钴胺素的作用。拟议工作第一部分中的这些机制研究将使磷酸盐分析方法（细胞中磷酸盐的特性和浓度）的设计成为可能。 该工作的后半部分将确定细菌中负责磷酸盐降解的基因，这最终将促进绿色化学的发展，利用生物工程降解污染物。 该研究被纳入PI的教育活动中，旨在解决下一代生物科学家培训中的重大问题，特别是：1）他们需要获得社会面临的技术挑战的全球视角，例如环境保护； 2）为高中生和本科生早期参与科学创造机会； 3）需要对科学家进行跨学科培训，使他们能够更好地应对 21 世纪的化学、生物和技术挑战。