Adaptation of bacteria to glyphosate: a microevolutionary perspective of the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase

ABSTRACT Glyphosate is the leading herbicide worldwide, but it also affects prokaryotes because it targets the central enzyme (EPSPS) of the shikimate pathway in the synthesis of the three essential aromatic amino acids in autotrophs. Our results reveal that bacteria easily become resistant to glyphosate through changes in the EPSPS active site. This indicates the importance of examining how glyphosate affects microbe-mediated ecosystem functions and human microbiomes.