Farnesyl unit

A detailed account of the chemical and spectroscopic evidence for the structures of cochlioquinone-A (18a) and -B (18b) has been published. These compounds are metabolites of Cochliobolus miyabeanus, a parasitic mould which grows on rice, and their unusual cyclofarnesane structure is probably derived in nature by introduction of a farnesyl unit into an aromatic precursor followed by cyclization of an intermediate bis-epoxide. 

The all-tra 5 -squalene (C30H50), discovered in shark liver oil in the 1920s, is a triterpene, but one in which the isoprene rule at violated in one point. Rather than a head-to-tail arrangement of six units of isoprene, there appear to be farnesyl units that have been connected tail to tail. Almost aU steroids are biosynthesized from cholesterol. Cholesterol is biosynthesized from squalene, which is first converted to lanosterol. The conversion of squalene to the steroid skeleton is an oxirane, squalene-2,3-oxide, which is transformed by enzymes into lanosterol, a steroid alcohol naturally found in wool fat. The whole process is highly stereoselective. 

The 1 -2-3-condensation of two farnesyl pyrophosphate molecules results in the formation of a cyclopropane ring with 3 chiral centers. The C-2-C-3 double bond of one farnesyl unit which is attacked by the C-1 of another, retains the relative orientation of the substituents on the double bond. The alkyl group at C-3 of the cyclopropane ring is irons to the carbinyl carbon at C-1 of the ring. Popjak et al. 

During the condensation reaction, the donating farnesyl residue loses a proton (the pro-S hydrogen) at C-1 (cf. Fig. 14). This information, in conjunction with the known absolute configuration, indicates that the prenylation is at the 2-si, 3-re face of the acceptor. This indicated that C-1 of the donor farnesyl unit inverts [67]. 

Although the head-to-head linkage of farnesyl units produces squalene, there are many other terpene-related materials that also appear to result from linkages other than common l -4 (head-to-tail) condensation between an allylic pyrophosphate and a homoallylic pyrophosphate. Huang and Poulter have provided a mechanistically detailed picture of the mechanism of 1 -3 bond formation in the biosynthesis of the triterpene botryococcene (Scheme 15) (40). This Cjo compound is formed from two equivalents of farnesyl pyrophosphate. Pre-squalene pyrophosphate, the precursor to squalene, is also a precursor to botryococcene. As noted previously, cyclopropylcarbinyl model systems for presqua-lene pyrophosphate do not produce the structure characteristic of squalene. In fact, they react almost exclusively to produce the 1,3 linkage characteristic of botryococcene. 

The higher terpenes are formed not by successive addition of C5 units but by the coupling of simpler terpenes Thus the triterpenes (C30) are derived from two mole cules of farnesyl pyrophosphate and the tetraterpenes (C40) from two molecules of ger anylgeranyl pyrophosphate These carbon-carbon bond forming processes involve tail to tail couplings and proceed by a more complicated mechanism than that just described... 

Further combination of GPP with another IPP gives the C15 unit farnesyl diphosphate (FPP), and so on, up to C25. Terpenoids with more than 25 carbons—that is, triterpenoids (C30) and tetraterpenoids (C40)—ate synthesized by dimerization of Cj5 and C2q units, respectively (Figure 27.8). Triterpenoids and... 

The central unit of these peptidomimetics imitates a /1-turn and brings the NH2-terminus of the cysteine analogue and the CO OH terminus of the methionine in spatial proximity these can then complex the Zn2+ ion which is essential for activity of the FTase [26]. The free acid 7 inhibits the enzyme with an IC50 value of 1 nmol/1, whilst in intact cells the methyl ester 8, despite its weaker in vitro activity, is significantly more potent because it can penetrate the plasma membrane better due to its lower polarity. This property can be used to convert the morphology of H-Ras-transformed cells back to the normal form and to inhibit growth of these cells, whereas the substance shows no effect on Src-transformed and untransformed rat fibroblasts. The inhibitor therefore acts selectively on transformed cells and does not influence growth of normal cells. This result is noteworthy because farnesylation of the wild type H-Ras protein... 

The result of the retrosynthetic analysis of rac-lO is 2-hydroxyphenazine (9) and the terpenoid unit rac-23, which may be linked by ether formation [29]. The rac-23 component can be dissected into the alkyl halide rac-24 and the (E)-vinyl halide 25. A Pd(0)-catalyzed sp -sp coupling reaction is meant to ensure both the reaction of rac-24 and 25 and the ( )-geometry of the C-6, C-7 double bond. Following Negishi, 25 is accessible via carboalumination from alkyne 27, which might be traced back to (E,E)-farnesyl acetone (28). The idea was to produce 9 in accordance with one of the methods reported in the literature, and to obtain rac-24 in a few steps from symmetrical 3-methyl-pentane-1,5-diol (26) by selective functionalization of either of the two hydroxyl groups. 

Studying the sequences of farnesylated proteins indicated that all lipidated proteins bear a cysteine residue near the C-terminus revealing the CAAX-motif, where C is a cysteine, A stands for an aliphatic amino acid, and X can be any amino acid. Database searches resulted in more prenylated proteins, all bearing the CAAX-motif, in systems from lower eukaryotes to mammals. A closer look at the mature proteins revealed that prenylation was only the first step of processing of the CAAX-motif-encoded proteins. After transfer of the isoprene unit, the last three amino acids are cleaved proteolytically by an endoprotease and the C-terminal cysteine is carboxymethylated by a methyltransferase. ... 

In similar fashions, the core pathway up to C25 compounds (five isoprene units) is formed by sequential addition of C5 moieties derived from IPP to a starter unit derived from DMAPP. Thus, sesquiterpenes are formed form the precursor 2E, hS-farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP), and diterpenes from 2E, 6E, IO -geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP). The parents of triterpenes and tetraterpenes are formed by reductive coupling of two FPPs or GGPPs, respectively. Rubbers and other polyisoprenoids are produced from repeated additions of C5 units to the starter unit GGPP. 

Squalene takes part in metabolism as precursor for synthesis of steroids and structurally quite similar to (3-carotene, coenzyme qlO, vitamins Ki, E, and D. The squalene in skin and fat tissue comes from endogenous cholesterol synthesis as well as dietary resources in people who consume high amounts of olive and fish oil especially shark liver (Gershbein and Singh, 1969). Squalene is synthesized by squalene synthase which converts two units of farnesyl pyrophosphate, direct precursor for terpenes and steroids, into squalene. As a secosteroid, vitamin D biosynthesis is also regulated by squalene. Moreover, being precursor for each steroid family makes squalene a crucial component of the body. 

The synthesis of all isoprenoids starts with acetyl-CoA, which in a series of six different enzyme reactions is converted into isopentenyl-diphosphate (-PP), the basic C-5 isoprene unit that is used for the synthesis of all subsequent isoprenoids (Fig. 5.1.1). At the level of farnesyl-PP the pathway divides into several branches that are involved in the production of the various isoprenoid end products. One of the major branches involves the cholesterol biosynthetic part of the pathway, of which squalene is the first committed intermediate in the production of sterols. Following cycliza-tion of squalene, lanosterol is produced. To eventually produce cholesterol from la-... 

Two molecules of farnesyl pyrophosphate combine, releasing pyrophosphate, and are reduced, forming the 30-carbon compound squalene. [Note Squalene is formed from six isoprenoid units. Because three ATP are hydrolysed per mevalonic acid residue converted to IPP, a total of eighteen ATP are required to make the polyisoprenoid squalene.]... 

Continuation of the head-to-tail addition of five-carbon units to geranyl (or neryl) pyrophosphate can proceed in the same way to farnesyl pyrophosphate and so to gutta-percha (or natural rubber). At some stage, a new process must be involved because, although many isoprenoid compounds are head-to-tail type polymers of isoprene, others, such as squalene, lycopene, and /3- and y-carotene (Table 30-1), are formed differently. Squalene, for example, has a structure formed from head-to-head reductive coupling of two farnesyl pyrophosphates ... 

The GP subunit has a seven-bladed /1-propeller structure composed of seven WD-40 sequence repeats. The N-terminus of G/i adopts an a helical conformation that forms a coiled-coil with the N-terminus of Gy, while the G-terminus of Gy binds to blades five and six (Fig. 3 Sondek et al, 1996). All of the Gy subunits undergo post-translational isoprenylation at their G-termini with a 15-carbon farnesyl (Gyi, Gy8, and Gy,) or 20-carbon geranylgeranyl (all others) moiety. The G protein and y subunits form a functional unit that is not dissociable except by denaturation (Schmidt et al, 1992). 

If sterol content and conformation are so important for membrane stability, we should study the biosynthesis of sterols (Figure 3). The first enzyme in terpenoid biosynthesis is the 3-Hydroxy-3-Methyl-Glutary1-Coenzyme A-reductase (HMG-CoA-reductase) that catalyzes the synthesis of mevalonate. Two phosphorylations and decarboxylation of mevalonate lead to isopentenylpyrophosphate, the basic C -unit in sterol synthesis. Isopentenylpyrophosphate reacts with its isomer, the dimethylally1-pyrophosphate, in a head/tail-reaction to geranyl-pyrophosphate reaction with another C -unit leads to farnesyl-pyro-phosphate, that dimerizes in a tail/tail-reaction to squalene. After expoxidation of its A -double bond, squalene cyclizes to lano-... 

The C5 isoprene units in isopentenyl pyrophosphate are then condensed to form the C30 compound squalene (Fig. 2). First, isopentenyl pyrophosphate isomerizes to dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (Fig. 2a), which reacts with another molecule of isopentenyl pyrophosphate to form the CIO compound geranyl pyrophosphate (Fig. 2b). Another molecule of isopentenyl pyrophosphate then reacts with geranyl pyrophosphate to form the C15 compound farnesyl pyrophosphate. Next, two molecules of farnesyl pyrophosphate condense to form squalene (Fig. 2b). 

Farnesyl pyrophosphate and the C20 compound geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (which is formed by the condensation of another isopentenyl pyrophosphate with farnesyl pyrophosphate) are covalently linked to cysteine residues in a number of proteins, promoting their association with membranes (see Topic E2). Dolichol, which contains some 20 isoprene units is used to carry the biosynthetic precursor of the N-linked oligosaccharides that are subsequently attached to proteins (see Topic H5). 

Sesquiterpenoids (Sq) are Cj5 compounds formed by the assembly of three isoprenoid units. They are found in many living systems but particularly in higher plants. There are a large number of sesquiterpenoid carbon skeletons, which arise from the common precursor, farnesyl diphosphate, by various modes cyclization followed, in many cases, by skeletal rearrangement. 

Coupling of two C 5 farnesyl pyrophosphate units produces the C30 compound squa-lene, which is the precursor for the triterpenes and also for the steroids (see Section 28.6) ... 

Manganese acts as a cofactor of mevalonate kinase and farnesyl pyrophosphate synthetase. Mevalonate kinase and possibly one other manganese-activated enzyme are necessary for the formation of mevalonate from acetate (3). Farnesyl pyrophosphate synthetase acts to add one 5-carbon unit to geranyl pyrophosphate to make farnesyl pyrophosphate (4) (Figure 1). 

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