Pyrrole-2-carboxylate (P2C) is a 5-membered N-heterocyclic compound and is an intermediate in the breakdown of collagen and hydroxyproline and possibly also tetrapyrrole ring systems such as hemes, chlorophyll, bile pigments and corrinoids. Industrially, P2C is employed in the synthesis of various pharmaceuticals. Recently the reversible activity of P2C decarboxylase has been of interest due to CO2-fixing and the green house effect. Very little if anything is known about the toxic effects of P2C. Only the first reactions (decarboxylation and oxygenation) have been shown experimentally, the remaining steps in degradation are proposed by (Hormann, K. and Andreesen, J. (1991) Archives of Microbiology. 157:43-48.), based on the presence of 2-Oxoglutarate as an intermediate metabolite.