New Approaches to Identification and Activity Estimation of Glyphosate Degradation Enzymes

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A. V. Sviridov^*, N. F. Zelenkova, N. G. Vinokurova, I. T. Ermakova, and A. A. Leontievsky

Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Nauki 5, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia; fax: (495) 956-3370; E-mail: alhummen@rambler.ru

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received January 26, 2011; Revision received February 22, 2011

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We propose a new set of approaches, which allow identifying the primary enzymes of glyphosate (N-phosphonomethyl-glycine) attack, measuring their activities, and quantitative analysis of glyphosate degradation in vivo and in vitro. Using the developed approach we show that glyphosate degradation can follow different pathways depending on physiological characteristics of metabolizing strains: in Ochrobactrum anthropi GPK3 the initial cleavage reaction is catalyzed by glyphosate-oxidoreductase with the formation of aminomethylphosphonic acid and glyoxylate, whereas Achromobacter sp. MPS12 utilize C-P lyase, forming sarcosine. The proposed methodology has several advantages as compared to others described in the literature.

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KEY WORDS: glyphosate, liquid chromatography, thin layer chromatography, C-P lyase, glyphosate-oxidoreductase

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297911060149

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