CAREER: Mechanistic Studies of Phosphonate Biosynthesis and Degradation

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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.