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Polyisoprenoid alcohols—Recent results of structural studies
Author(s) -
SkorupinskaTudek Karolina,
Wojcik Jacek,
Swiezewska Ewa
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the chemical record
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.61
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1528-0691
pISSN - 1527-8999
DOI - 10.1002/tcr.20137
Subject(s) - computational biology , chemistry , biology
Polyisoprenoid alcohols (polyprenols and dolichols) are linear polymers of from several up to more than 100 isoprene units identified in almost all living organisms. Studies of their chemical structures have resulted in the discovery of new variants such as the recently described alloprenols with reversed configuration of the double bond in the α‐isoprene unit. In parallel, structural elucidation of metabolically labeled plant dolichols has indicated that both the mevalonate and methylerythritol phosphate pathways are involved in the biosynthesis of dolichols in roots, leading to the construction of a spatial model of their biosynthesis. According to this model, in root cells, synthesis of the dolichol molecule is initiated in the plastids, and the resulting intermediates, oligoprenyl diphosphates, are exported to the cytoplasm and are elongated up to the desired chain length. The metabolic consequences of this putative model are discussed in the context of the enzymatic machinery involved. © 2008 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 8: 33–45; 2008: Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ) DOI 10.1002/tcr.20137