title: Microbial transformations in phosphonate biosynthesis and catabolism, and their importance in nutrient cycling.
abstract: Phosphorus cycling in the biosphere has traditionally been thought to involve almost exclusively transformations of the element in its pentavalent oxidation state. Recent evidence, however, suggests that a significant fraction of environmental phosphorus may exist in a more reduced form. Most abundant of these reduced phosphorus compounds are the phosphonates, with their direct carbon-phosphorus bonds, and striking progress has recently been made in elucidating the biochemistry of microbial phosphonate transformations. These advances are now presented in the context of their contribution to our understanding of phosphorus biogeochemistry and of such diverse fields as the productivity of the oceans, marine methanogenesis and the discovery of novel microbial antimetabolites.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences and Institute for Global Food Security, The Queen's University of Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jason P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences and Institute for Global Food Security, The Queen's University of Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: McGrath
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences and Institute for Global Food Security, The Queen's University of Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Electronic address: j.quinn@qub.ac.uk.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Quinn
mesh_terms: D064307:Microbiota; D063065:Organophosphonates / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D063065:Organophosphonates