Biochemical Interactions of the Microbial Phytotoxin Phosphinothricin and Analogs with Plants and Microbes

During 1971, two independent research groups discovered a naturally occurring compound with an unusual structure. The compound was identified as bialaphos, a tripeptide containing a unique amino acid, L-2-amino-4-[hydroxy(methyl)phosphinyl]butyric acid (called phosphinothricin or PPT) linked to two

-alanyl moieties (Figure 9.1). Bayer et al.