Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Dreijenplein 10, 6703 HB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Res Microbiol. 2011 Jan;162(1):39-52. doi: 10.1016/j.resmic.2010.10.003. Epub 2010 Oct 27.
Isoprenoids are indispensable for all types of cellular life in the Archaea, Bacteria, and Eucarya. These membrane-associated molecules are involved in a wide variety of vital biological functions, ranging from compartmentalization and stability, to protection and energy-transduction. In Archaea, isoprenoid compounds constitute the hydrophobic moiety of the typical ether-linked membrane lipids. With respect to stereochemistry and composition, these archaeal lipids are very different from the ester-linked, fatty acid-based phospholipids in bacterial and eukaryotic membranes. This review provides an update on isoprenoid biosynthesis pathways, with a focus on the archaeal enzymes. The black-and-white distribution of fundamentally distinct membrane lipids in Archaea on the one hand, and Bacteria and Eucarya on the other, has previously been used as a basis for hypothetical evolutionary scenarios, a selection of which will be discussed here.
类异戊二烯是古菌、细菌和真核生物所有细胞生命形式所必需的。这些与膜相关的分子参与了各种各样的重要生物功能，从区室化和稳定性，到保护和能量转导。在古菌中，类异戊二烯化合物构成了典型醚键连接膜脂的疏水区。就立体化学和组成而言，这些古菌脂质与细菌和真核生物膜中的酯键连接的基于脂肪酸的磷脂有很大的不同。本综述提供了类异戊二烯生物合成途径的最新信息，重点介绍了古菌酶。古菌中截然不同的膜脂的黑白分布，一方面与细菌和真核生物不同，另一方面也被用作假设的进化情景的基础，这里将讨论其中的一些。
