Mevalonic acid stability

It is difficult to identify the lipid moiety as a polyprenol, because of the small amounts present in tissues. Nevertheless, some information can be obtained by using glycosylated lipids labelled in the sugar moiety. The first indication of the presence of polyprenyl glycosyl phosphates comes from study of the properties just mentioned, namely, lability to mild acid, stability to mild alkali, and acidic properties. Information on the polyprenyl nature of the lipid may be obtained by labelling the lipid with radioactive 2,4-dideoxyO-C-methyl-D-g/ycero-pentono-l.S-lactone (mevalonic acid ). 

The final decarboxylation of mevalonate 5-diphosphate appears unusual because decarboxylations of acids do not typically occur except in /3-keto acids and malonic acids, in which the carboxylate group is two atoms away from an additional carbonyl group (Section 22.7). The function of this second carbonyl group is to act as an electron acceptor and stabilize the charge resulting from loss of CC>2- In fact, though, the decarboxylation of a /3-kelo acid and the decarboxylation of mevalonate 5-diphosphate are closely related. 

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