{"id":153082,"date":"2026-05-14T09:01:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=153082"},"modified":"2026-05-14T09:10:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:10:01","slug":"natural-chemical-factories-ucf-study-reveals-how-bacteria-build-explosive-like-molecules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/natural-chemical-factories-ucf-study-reveals-how-bacteria-build-explosive-like-molecules\/","title":{"rendered":"Natural Chemical Factories: 166su Study Reveals How Bacteria Build Explosive-Like Molecules"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scientists at 166su have discovered how certain bacteria can produce molecules chemically similar to those used in explosives, revealing a previously unknown pathway for building complex, nitrogen-rich compounds.<\/p>\n

The study, led by 166su associate professor of chemistry Jonathan Caranto<\/a>, identifies hydrazinoacetic acid as a key building block in the production of N-nitroglycine, a rare compound that offers new insight into how living systems carry out sophisticated chemical processes.These processes could be used to create safer and more efficient chemical reactions across manufacturing, healthcare and more. The research has been accepted for publication in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology <\/em>and was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Graham Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Zdilla Laboratory at Temple University.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnzymes \u2014 or bacteria, more broadly \u2014 are capable of generating many interesting types of molecules, including ones we would think are explosive,\u201d Caranto says. \u201cWe don\u2019t know why they\u2019re making them, but it\u2019s fairly interesting that they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

While compounds like nitramines are often associated with industrial and energetic applications, their role in biology remains poorly understood. By identifying hydrazinoacetic acid as a key precursor to N-nitroglycine, the team begins to explain how bacteria construct these unusual nitrogen-rich molecules \u2014 and what those pathways may tell scientists about chemistry in living systems.<\/p>\n

Why It Matters<\/h2>\n

Understanding how bacteria produce nitrogen-rich compounds could have implications across multiple fields, from industrial chemistry to medicine. Traditional methods for synthesizing these compounds often require energy-intensive processes or hazardous materials. Biological systems, by contrast, operate under milder conditions and could offer a blueprint for alternative production methods.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrently, the way these compounds are made requires a lot of very corrosive, hazardous and environmentally detrimental materials, having a bacterium make it instead would present a lot of advantages in terms of eliminating waste.\u201d\u2014 Jonathan Caranto, associate professor of chemistry, UCF College of Sciences<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cCurrently, the way these compounds are made requires a lot of very corrosive, hazardous and environmentally detrimental materials,\u201d Caranto says. \u201cHaving a bacterium make it instead would present a lot of advantages in terms of eliminating waste.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, the discovery opens new avenues for studying how these molecules function in biological systems, including potential applications in drug development and enzyme engineering.<\/p>\n

Uncovering Nature\u2019s Hidden Chemistry<\/h2>\n

At the center of the discovery is hydrazinoacetic acid, a small but highly reactive molecule that functions as a precursor, or starting material, in the bacterial synthesis of N-nitroglycine. By identifying its role, researchers were able to map a previously unknown biosynthetic pathway, showing insight into how bacteria construct these compounds. For postdoctoral scholar Ben Rathman, the discovery highlights how much remains unknown about these molecules.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biological role of these compounds is not really well understood,\u201d Rathman says. \u201cWe have a lot to learn from nature, and that\u2019s where my interest in the project lies.\u201d<\/p>\n

That uncertainty is central to the work. While these compounds have been studied in synthetic contexts for decades, their presence in biology raises new questions about how and why organisms produce them.<\/p>\n

A Paradox in Biology<\/h2>\n

Part of what makes the finding compelling is the tension between how these molecules are typically understood and how they behave in living systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of those things where, at first, you might say this shouldn\u2019t be a biomolecule,\u201d chemistry doctoral<\/a> student Gabriel Padilla \u201917 <\/strong>says. \u201cThese types of functional groups are usually associated with energetics, but here they\u2019re produced by living systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than behaving like traditional energetic materials, the compounds studied do not detonate under normal conditions. Instead, they appear to exist as stable intermediates within biological systems, suggesting they may serve entirely different functions.\u00a0 In addition, most hydrazines are regarded as highly toxic.<\/p>\n

For Caranto, this reflects a broader theme in the research.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne insight from our work is that life is pretty remarkable in how it can safely and productively use molecules that would otherwise be toxic,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

For the team, the work represents an early step in a much larger effort to understand the role these compounds play in nature.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really interested in why bacteria make these nitramines,\u201d Caranto says. \u201cThis is the first step on a much longer road toward understanding that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Work in the Caranto and Graham labs was supported by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) projects WP24-4206 and WP2332, respectively. Work of the Caranto lab was also supported by the National Institutes of Health (R35GM147515).Work from the Zdilla lab was supported by an NSF (CHE-2215854). and the Office of Naval Research (N00014-22-1-2266).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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