ORGANOPHOSPHONATE UTILIZATION BY THE WILD-TYPE STRAIN OF PSEUDOMONAS-FLUORESCENS

The wild-type strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens was found to utilize a range of structurally diverse organophosphonates as its sole carbon or nitrogen sources. Representative compounds included aminoalkylphosphonates, hydroxyalkylphosphonates, oxoalkylphosphonates, and phosphono dipeptides. Among them, amino(phenyl)methylphosphonate, 2-aminoethylphosphonate, aminomethylphosphonate, diisopropyl 9-amino-fluoren-9-ylphosphonate, and 2-oxoalkylphosphonates were used by P. fluorescens as its sole sources of phosphorus. Only slight growth was observed on the herbicide glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine), which was metabolized to aminomethylphosphonate. Neither phosphinothricin nor its dialanyl tripeptide, bialaphos, supported growth of P. fluorescens. The possible mechanisms of organophosphonate degradation by this strain are discussed.