The use of a 2-aminoethylphosphonate by the mesophilic Penicillium commune strain

The recognition of the breakdown mechanisms of naturally occurring phosphonates is very important to understand the distribution mechanisms of their synthetic derivatives that are deposited in large amounts in the environment – for example, N -phosphonomethylglycine (PMG; glyphosate), the main component of the popular herbicide Roundup, increasingly perceived as having a negative impact on people and the environment. The mesophilic fungal strain Penicillium commune is capable of splitting the phosphorus–carbon bond in 2-aminoethylphosphonic acid (2-AEP; ciliatine). Growing the fungi on a modified chemically defined medium containing 2 mM 2-AEP as the only P source for growth resulted in a 50% loss of the substrate in the culture medium, as confirmed by the high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The activity of enzymes that metabolize ciliatine was detectable in a cell-free extract prepared from Penicillium commune pre-grown on 2 mM 2-AEP. The activity of the crude extract was demonstrated at 30°C.