IJSRP, Volume 4, Issue 2, February 2014 Edition [ISSN 2250-3153]
Anupsingh Thakur, Omkar Gogate, Gaurav N. Chaudhari, D. N Jagtap
Abstract:
5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase, an enzyme used in biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids in plants, many bacteria, and microbes, is a prime target for drugs and herbicides. The herbicide glyphosate (N-phosphonomethyl glycine) is a potent reversible inhibitor of the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase activity as it is competitive with respect to phosphoenolpyruvate and uncompetitive with respect to shikimate-3-phosphate. It is important to study this enzyme for elucidation of the active site of EPSP synthase and especially of the binding pattern of glyphosate provides a valuable roadmap for engineering new herbicides and herbicide-resistant crops, as well as new antibiotic and antiparasitic drugs.