Abstract
Isoprenoid biosynthesis was investigated in the green alga Scenedesmus obliquus grown heterotrophically on 13C-labelled glucose and acetate. Several isoprenoid compounds were isolated and investigated by 13C-NMR spectroscopy. According to the 13C-labelling pattern indicated by the 13C-NMR spectra, the biosynthesis of all plastidic isoprenoids investigated (prenyl side-chains of chlorophylls and plastoquinone-9, and the carotenoids beta-carotene and lutein), as well as of the non-plastidic cytoplasmic sterols, does not proceed via the classical acetate/mevalonate pathway (which leads from acetyl-CoA via mevalonate to isopentenyl diphosphate), but via the novel glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate/pyruvate route recently detected in eubacteria. Formation of isopentenyl diphosphate involves the condensation of a C2 unit derived from pyruvate decarboxylation with glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and a transposition yielding the branched C5 skeleton of isoprenic units.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (506.3 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- BLOCH K., CHAYKIN S., PHILLIPS A. H., DE WAARD A. Mevalonic acid pyrophosphate and isopentenylpyrophosphate. J Biol Chem. 1959 Oct;234:2595–2604. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- BRAITHWAITE G. D., GOODWIN T. W. Studies in carotenogenesis. 25. The incorporation of [1-C14] acetate, [2-C14] acetate and C14-labelled carbon dioxide into lycopene by tomato slices. Biochem J. 1960 Jul;76:1–5. doi: 10.1042/bj0760001. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bach T. J. Some new aspects of isoprenoid biosynthesis in plants--a review. Lipids. 1995 Mar;30(3):191–202. doi: 10.1007/BF02537822. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bishop N. I., Wong J. Observations on photosystem II mutants of Scenedesmus: pigments and proteinaceous components of the chloroplasts. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1971 Jun 15;234(3):433–445. doi: 10.1016/0005-2728(71)90210-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- DURR I. F., RUDNEY H. The reduction of beta-hydroxy-beta-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A to mevalonic acid. J Biol Chem. 1960 Sep;235:2572–2578. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Flesch G., Rohmer M. Prokaryotic hopanoids: the biosynthesis of the bacteriohopane skeleton. Formation of isoprenic units from two distinct acetate pools and a novel type of carbon/carbon linkage between a triterpene and D-ribose. Eur J Biochem. 1988 Aug 1;175(2):405–411. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1988.tb14210.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- GOODWIN T. W. Studies in carotenogenesis. 25. The incorporation of 14CO2, [2-14C] acetate and [2-14C]mevalonate into beta-carotene by illuminated etiolated maize seedings. Biochem J. 1958 Dec;70(4):612–617. doi: 10.1042/bj0700612. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Griffiths W. T., Threlfall D. R., Goodwin T. W. Observations on the nature and biosynthesis of terpenoid quinones and related compounds in tobacco shoots. Eur J Biochem. 1968 Jun;5(1):124–132. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1968.tb00346.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- LEVY H. R., POPJAK G. Studies on the biosynthesis of cholesterol. 10. Mevalonic kinase from liver. Biochem J. 1960 Jun;75:417–428. doi: 10.1042/bj0750417. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- McGarvey D. J., Croteau R. Terpenoid metabolism. Plant Cell. 1995 Jul;7(7):1015–1026. doi: 10.1105/tpc.7.7.1015. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- PURCELL A. E., THOMPSON G. A., Jr, BONNER J. The incorporation of mevalonic acid into tomato carotenoids. J Biol Chem. 1959 May;234(5):1081–1084. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- RUDNEY H., FERGUSON J. J., Jr The biosynthesis of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylglutaryl coenzyme A in yeast. II. The formation of hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A via the condensation of acetyl coenzyme A and acetoacetyl coenzyme A. J Biol Chem. 1959 May;234(5):1076–1080. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Rohmer M., Knani M., Simonin P., Sutter B., Sahm H. Isoprenoid biosynthesis in bacteria: a novel pathway for the early steps leading to isopentenyl diphosphate. Biochem J. 1993 Oct 15;295(Pt 2):517–524. doi: 10.1042/bj2950517. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- SHNEOUR E. A., ZABIN I. The biosynthesis of lycopene in tomato homogenates. J Biol Chem. 1959 Apr;234(4):770–773. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Shah S. P., Rogers L. J. Compartmentation of terpenoid biosynthesis in green plants. A proposed route of acetyl-coenzyme A synthesis in maize chloroplasts. Biochem J. 1969 Sep;114(2):395–405. doi: 10.1042/bj1140395. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Treharne K. J., Mercer E. I., Goodwin T. W. Incorporation of [14C] carbon dioxide and [2-14C] mevalonic acid into terpenoids of higher plants during chloroplast development. Biochem J. 1966 Apr;99(1):239–245. doi: 10.1042/bj0990239. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wieckowski S., Goodwin T. W. Incorporation of DL-[2-14C]mevalonic acid lactone into beta-carotene and the phytol side chain of chlorophyll in cotyledons of four species of pine seedlings. Biochem J. 1967 Oct;105(1):89–92. doi: 10.1042/bj1050089. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]