Biodegradation of the most commonly used herbicide on earth

地球上最常用的除草剂是草甘膦，它通过抑制一种参与芳香氨基酸合成的关键酶来杀死植物。它受欢迎的原因有很多；对人类和动物的毒性低，通过微生物代谢活动降解，在土壤和水中的停留时间短，以及开发耐草甘膦作物品种。草甘膦是一种膦酸盐，具有高度稳定的碳磷键。然而，它很容易被土壤中的微生物生物降解。细菌的细节、生化途径和负责这种生物降解的酶还不为人所知。在某些土壤条件下，草甘膦会随着时间在土壤中积累。我们已经组建了一个具有生物化学、微生物学、细菌遗传学和宏基因组学互补专业知识的团队，通过分离和研究新的草甘膦降解细菌菌株，寻找新的草甘膦降解途径，并详细表征途径酶，来研究农业土壤中草甘膦的代谢。我们还将尝试产生具有改进的草甘膦降解性能的进化菌株。我们的工业合作伙伴对我们产生的知识和我们分离的草甘膦降解菌株感兴趣，因为我们有可能在未来开发用于修复草甘膦污染土壤的产品。该项目将有助于保持草甘膦作为加拿大现代可持续农业的重要和有价值的工具。

The most commonly used herbicide on Earth is glyphosate, which kills plants by inhibiting a key enzyme involved in aromatic amino acid synthesis. It is popular for a number of reasons; low toxicity to humans and animals, short residence time in soil and water due to degradation through microbial metabolic activity, and development of glyphosate tolerant varieties of crop plants. Glyphosate is a phosphonate, with a highly stable carbon-phosphorous bond. It is readily biodegraded, however, by microbes in the soil. The details of the bacteria, the biochemical pathways, and the enzymes that are responsible for this biodegradation are not well known. Under some soil conditions, glyphosate can accumulate in the soil over time. We have assembled a team with complementary expertise in biochemistry, microbiology, bacterial genetics and metagenomics to investigate glyphosate metabolism in agricultural soils by isolating and studying new strains of glyphosate degrading bacteria, searching for novel glyphosate degradation pathways, and detailed characterization of the pathway enzymes. We will also attempt to generate evolved strains with improved glyphosate degradation properties. Our industrial partner is interested in the knowledge that we generate and the glyphosate degrading strains that we isolate for the potential future development of products for remediation of glyphosate contaminated soils. This project will contribute towards the maintenance of glyphosate as an important and valuable tool for modern sustainable agriculture in Canada.