Synthesis plastoquinone

Table 1 Formation f plastoquinone-9, B-carotene, fatty acids (F.A.) and sterols from / C/bicarbonate, /2- C/acetate and / C/-mevalonate using spinach protoplasts at pH 7.6. Note the preference of bicarbonate in the isoprenoid and of acetate in the fatty acid synthesis. Plastoquinone-9 and B-carotene are not formed if mevalonate is applied from the external site.

FIGURE 8.18 Dolichol phosphate is an initiation point for the synthesis of carbohydrate polymers in animals. The analogous alcohol in bacterial systems, undecaprenol, also known as bactoprenol, consists of 11 isoprene units. Undecaprenyl phosphate delivers sugars from the cytoplasm for the synthesis of cell wall components such as peptidoglycans, lipopolysaccharides, and glycoproteins. Polyprenyl compounds also serve as the side chains of vitamin K, the ubiquinones, plastoquinones, and tocopherols (such as vitamin E). 

From the plastoquinone pool, the electrons pass through the cyt b6f complex, which generates much of the electrochemical proton gradient that drives the synthesis of ATP. 

The biosynthesis of monoterpenes, the major components of peppermint essential oils, can be divided into four stages (Fig. 9.4). Stage 1 includes the formation of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl alcohol (DMAPP). In plants, two separate pathways are utilized for the synthesis of these universal C5 intermediates, with the cytosolic mevalonate pathway being responsible for the formation of sterols and certain sesquiterpenes, and the plastidial mevalonate-independent pathway being involved in the biosynthesis of isoprene, monoterpenes, certain sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, tetraterpenes, as well as the side chains of chlorophyll and plastoquinone.16 In peppermint oil gland secretory cells, however, the mevalonate pathway is blocked and the biosynthesis of monoterpenoid essential... 

Nitisinone (59 Orfadin Swedish Orphan, 2002) is a derivative of lepto-spermone, an important new class of herbicides from the bottlebmsh plant (Callistemon citrinus), and exerts an inhibitory effect for /7-hydroxyphenyl-pyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) involved in plastoquinone synthesis the... 

Because photosystem 11 and the cytochrome b/f complex release protons from reduced plastoquinone into the lumen (via a Q. cycle), photosynthetic electron transport establishes an electrochemical gradient across the thylakoid membrane (see p. 126), which is used for ATP synthesis by an ATP synthase. ATP and NADPH+H", which are both needed for the dark reactions, are formed in the stroma. 

It can be seen from the normal potentials E° (see p. 18) of the most important redox systems involved in the light reactions why two excitation processes are needed in order to transfer electrons from H2O to NADP"". After excitation in PS II, E° rises from around -IV back to positive values in plastocyanin (PC)—i. e., the energy of the electrons has to be increased again in PS I. If there is no NADP" available, photosynthetic electron transport can still be used for ATP synthesis. During cyclic photophosphorylation, electrons return from ferredoxin (Fd) via the plastoquinone pool to the b/f complex. This type of electron transport does not produce any NADPH, but does lead to the formation of an gradient and thus to ATP synthesis. 

Leptospermone (34), a representative of an important new class of herbicides from the bottlebrush plant, Callistemon citrinus (Curtis) Skeels, has been found to have an inhibitory effect on the enzyme, -hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD), involved in the synthesis of plastoquinone in plants. Nitisinone (35), a synthetic derivative of (34), has recently been introduced to the market for the treatment of hereditary tyrosinemia type 1 (HT-1), a severe genetic disease caused by a deficiency of fumaryl acetoacetate hydrolase (FAH). ... 

The molecular target site of triketone herbicides is the enzyme -hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD). Inhibition of this enzyme disrupts the biosynthesis of carotenoids and causes a bleaching (loss of chlorophyll) effect on the foliage similar to that observed with inhibitors ofphytoene desaturase (e.g. norflurazon). However, the mechanism of action of HPPD inhibitors is different. Inhibtion of HPPD stops the synthesis of homogen tisate (HGA), which is a key precursor of the 8 different tocochromanols (tocopherols and tocotrienols) and prenyl quinones. In the absence of prenylquinone plastoquinone, phytoene desaturase activity is interrupted. The bleaching of the green tissues ensues as if these compounds inhibited phytoene desaturase. 

In addition to its role as an intermediate in cholesterol biosynthesis, isopentenyl pyrophosphate is the activated precursor of a huge array of biomolecules with diverse biological roles (Fig. 21-48). They include vitamins A, E, and K plant pigments such as carotene and the phytol chain of chlorophyll natural rubber many essential oils (such as the fragrant principles of lemon oil, eucalyptus, and musk) insect juvenile hormone, which controls metamorphosis dolichols, which serve as lipid-soluble carriers in complex polysaccharide synthesis and ubiquinone and plastoquinone, electron carriers in mitochondria and chloroplasts. Collectively, these molecules are called isoprenoids. More than... 

The electron donor to Chl+ in PSI of chloroplasts is the copper protein plastocyanin (Fig. 2-16). However, in some algae either plastocyanin or a cytochrome c can serve, depending upon the availability of copper or iron.345 Both QA and QB of PSI are phylloquinone in cyanobacteria but are plastoquinone-9 in chloroplasts. Mutant cyanobacteria, in which the pathway of phylloquinone synthesis is blocked, incorporate plasto-quinone-9 into the A-site.345a Plastoquinone has the structure shown in Fig. 15-24 with nine isoprenoid units in the side chain. Spinach chloroplasts also contain at least six other plastoquinones. Plastoquino-nes C, which are hydroxylated in side-chain positions, are widely distributed. In plastoquinones B these hydroxyl groups are acylated. Many other modifications exist including variations in the number of iso-prene units in the side chains.358 359 There are about five molecules of plastoquinone for each reaction center, and plastoquinones may serve as a kind of electron buffer between the two photosynthetic systems. 

Labeling experiments have shown that the plasto-quinones of chloroplasts as well as the tocopherols each bear one methyl group (marked with an asterisk in Fig. 25-4) that originates from chorismate. The dihydroxy compound homogentisate is probably an intermediate.80 83 It is a normal catabolite of tyrosine in the animal body (Fig. 25-5, Eq. 18-49). Both pren-ylation and methylation by AdoMet are required to complete the synthesis of the plastoquinones and tocopherols. Possible biosynthetic intermediates with one or more double bonds in the polyprenyl side chain have been found in plants and also in fish oils.83a... 

Photosystems I and II operate in concert. Their interaction is described in the Z scheme (shown in outline in Figure 18). In photosystem II, the primary oxidant is able to remove electrons from water. These electrons are transported to photosystem I via plastoquinone and plastocyanin to replace PSI electrons that have been used in the reduction of iron-sulfur proteins and transferred via NADP to 0O2. Electron flow between PSII and PSI is accompanied by the synthesis of Atp 367 These oxidizing and reducing aspects of photosynthesis can be separated and other substrates incorporated. 

Simple, direct and regioselective allylation of 1,4-benzoquinones is an important objective in the synthesis of many isoprenoid quinones such as plastoquinone-1 and vitamin Ki, which play important roles in cellular metabolism and photosynthesis. In a new procedure where the use of a strongly coordinating solvent was found to play an important role, it was shown that reaction of 3 equivalents of (3-methyl-2-butenyl)trifluorosilane with one equivalent of 2,3-dimethyl-l,4-benzoquinone in formamide in the presence of 5 equivalents of FeCl3.6H20 for 23 hours at 40°C gave plastoquinone-1 1, in 90% yield. 

Shortly after the introduction of the triazine herbicides, it was confirmed that their target site in the photosystem II (PS II) complex was in the thylakoid membranes. Triazines displace plastoquinone at the QB-binding site on the D1 protein, thereby blocking electron flow from QA to QB. This in turn inhibits NADPH2 and ATP synthesis, preventing C02 fixation. 

The electron from P680 is transferred to a series of plas-tiquinone (PQ) derivatives, leaving behind an oxidized P680 molecule as shown in Figure 3-2. The reduction of plastoquinone is similar to that of Coenzyme Q in mitochondrial oxidation/reduction, in that PQ can accept either one or two electrons at a time. Plastiquinone molecules accept a proton (H+) from the stroma for each electron they accept. This leaves the stroma more basic than it was before, creating part of the gradient that will be used for ATP synthesis. 

Inhibitors of carotenoid synthesis also lead to chlorophyll destruction by destabilizing the photosynthetic apparatus. Total carotenoid content decreased with increased (-)-usnic concentration (Fig. 1.4). Carotenoid biosynthesis can be interrupted by inhibiting the enzyme phytoene desaturase that converts phytoene to carotenes or by inhibiting the enzyme HPPD responsible for plastoquinone (required for phytoene desaturase activity) synthesis.14 Usnic acid possesses some of the structural features of the triketone HPPD inhibitors, such as sulcotrione (Fig. 1.1C).8 (-)-Usnic acid had a strong inhibitory activity on HPPD, with an apparent IC50 of 70 nM, surpassing the activity obtained with the commercial herbicide sulcotrione (Fig. 1.5). 

Isoprenylated Quinones.—Chemistry. An efficient method has been described for the preparation of ubiquinone-1 (221) and plastoquinone-1 (223) from the parent quinone and allyltributyltin. The synthesis of ubiquinone-10 by isoprenoid chain-elongation of a ubiquinone-1 derivative has been reported.The sul-phone derivative of the protected ubiquinol-1 (224) on reaction with solanesyl bromide (225) and McjCOK gave the sulphone (226) in 90% yield. Benseker reduction to remove the PhCH2- and PhS02-groups, followed by oxidation in air, afforded ubiquinone-10 (222). 

This new alkylation procedure has been used for a simple synthesis of plastoquinone-1 (4) in 61 % yield from 2,3-dimethylbenzoquinone and 3-methyl-2-butenyl bromide. Co-... 

Cheng, Z. et al. (2003). Highly divergent methyltransferases catalyze a conserved reaction in tocophenol and plastoquinone synthesis in cyanobacteria and photosynthetic eukaryotes. Plant Cell, 15, 2343-56. 

Figure 14.11 illustrates the syntheses of phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan from chorismate. (Chorismate is also a precursor in the synthesis of the aromatic rings in the mixed terpenoids, e.g., the tocopherols, the ubiquinones, and plastoquinone.)... 

Chorismate is converted to prephenate (the precursor of phenylalanine and tyrosine) and anthranilate (the precursor of tryptophan). (Chorismate can also be converted to 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, the precursor of the ubiquinones. 4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate is also a precursor in the synthesis of plastoquinone and various tocopherols.) PRPP is an abbreviation for phosphoribosylpyrophosphate. 

---