This family consists of examples of phosphonopyruvate an decarboxylase enzyme that produces phosphonoacetaldehyde (Pald), the second step in the biosynthesis phosphonate-containing compounds. Since the preceding enzymate step, PEP phosphomutase (AepX, TIGR02320) favors the substrate PEP energetically, the decarboxylase is required to drive the reaction in the direction of phosphonate production. Pald is a precursor of natural products including antibiotics like bialaphos [1] and phosphonothricin [2] in Streptomyces species, phosphonate-modified molecules such as the polysaccharide B of Bacteroides fragilis [3], the phosphonolipids of Tetrahymena pyroformis [4], the glycosylinositolphospholipids of Trypanosoma cruzi [5]. This gene generally occurs in prokaryotic organisms adjacent to the gene for AepX. Most often an aminotansferase (aepZ) is also present which leads to the production of the most common phosphonate compound, 2-aminoethylphosphonate (AEP).
- Gene:
- aepY
GO Terms:- Biological Process:
- organic phosphonate biosynthetic process (GO:0032923)
- Molecular Function:
- phosphonopyruvate decarboxylase activity (GO:0033980)
- Date:
- 2024-06-26