Members of this family are 2-aminoethylphosphonate--pyruvate transaminase. This enzyme acts on the most common type of naturally occurring phosphonate. It interconverts 2-aminoethylphosphonate plus pyruvate with 2-phosphonoacetaldehyde plus alanine. The enzyme phosphonoacetaldehyde hydrolase (EC 3.11.1.1), usually encoded by an adjacent gene, then cleaves the C-P bond of phosphonoacetaldehyde, adding water to yield acetaldehyde plus inorganic phosphate. Species with this pathway generally have an identified phosphonate ABC transporter but do not also have the multisubunit C-P lysase complex as found in Escherichia coli. [Central intermediary metabolism, Phosphorus compounds]
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