Polyprenyl pyrophosphate synthetase

The isoprenoid quinones, e.g. the ubiquinones 5.36), are essential metabolites, being involved in electron transport in living systems. In the ubiquinones a particular chain length is favoured from n = 6 in certain micro-organisms to w = 10 in most mammals. Mevalonic acid (5.55) is well established as the source of polyprenyl side-chains in these metabolites. It is probable that the side-chain is assembled as a polyprenyl pyrophosphate which then couples with the aromatic fragment. The evidence is that polyprenyl pyrophosphate synthetases and 4-hydroxybenzoate polyprenyltransferases have been isolated from living systems and ubiquinones co-occur with polyprenyl alcohols [as (5.57)] [26, 27]. 

Fujii H, Koyama T, Ogura K. Essential protein factors for polyprenyl pyrophosphate synthetases. Separation of heptaprenyl pyrophosphate synthetase into two components. FEBS Lett, 1983 161 257-260. 

Other - Farnesylpyrophosphate synthetase has been used in asymmetric synthesis of isoprenoids. Potato acid phosphatase has been applied to mild hydrolysis of polyprenyl pyrophosphates. Sulfatase-catalyzed hydrolysis of /9-napthol sulfate has been used to separate a- and 8-napthols. NAD and flavin adenine dinucleotide have been made by enzymic coupling reactions. 

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See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

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