An isoprenoid is a compound whose carbon framework has a biosynthetic origin in the five-carbon precursors isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate. The family includes sterols, prenyl groups, and numerous other compounds assembled from these activated building blocks. The mevalonate pathway supplies precursors for several branches of isoprenoid metabolism [1]. Farnesyl and geranylgeranyl groups are isoprenoid units that can be covalently attached to proteins through prenylation reactions [2]. In plants, precursor production occurs through both the cytosolic mevalonate pathway and the plastidial methylerythritol phosphate pathway [3]. Chain extension, cyclization, and subsequent chemical modifications generate products with distinct molecular structures and functional groups [4]. Their common precursor origin connects this chemical diversity within a single biosynthetic family despite substantial variation in molecular size and final structure [5].
- isoprenoids
- prenyl precursors
- lipid biosynthesis
- terpenoid skeletons
Lipid metabolism and biosynthesis·Biochemistry·Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology·Life Sciences
References
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- Charuta C. Palsuledesai; Mark D. Distefano; Protein Prenylation: Enzymes, Therapeutics, and Biotechnology Applications. ACS Chem. Biol. 2014, 10, 51-62, 10.1021/cb500791f.
- Eva Vranová; Diana Coman; Wilhelm Gruissem; Network Analysis of the MVA and MEP Pathways for Isoprenoid Synthesis. Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 2013, 64, 665-700, 10.1146/annurev-arplant-050312-120116.
- Peter A. Edwards; Johan Ericsson; Sterols and Isoprenoids: Signaling Molecules Derived from the Cholesterol Biosynthetic Pathway. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 1999, 68, 157-185, 10.1146/annurev.biochem.68.1.157.
- K Ulrich Wendt; Georg E Schulz; Isoprenoid biosynthesis: manifold chemistry catalyzed by similar enzymes. Structure 1998, 6, 127-133, 10.1016/s0969-2126(98)00015-x.