Other names in common use include: EPSP synthase is a monomeric enzyme with a molecular mass of approximately 46,000.

[5] EPSP synthase participates in the biosynthesis of the aromatic amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan via the shikimate pathway in bacteria, fungi, and plants.

[12] A neutrally charged lysine (lys-22) acts as a general base, deprotonating the hydroxyl group of S3P such that the resulting oxyanion can attack the most electrophilic carbon atom of PEP.

[13] Glyphosate is a competitive inhibitor of EPSP synthase, acting as a transition state analog that binds more tightly to the EPSPS-S3P complex than PEP and inhibits the shikimate pathway.

[5][14] A version of the enzyme that both was resistant to glyphosate and that was still efficient enough to drive adequate plant growth was identified by Monsanto scientists after much trial and error in an Agrobacterium strain called CP4 (Q9R4E4).