Institut für Allgemeine Botanik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, 55099 Mainz, Germany.
Plant Sci. 2012 Apr;185-186:9-22. doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2011.07.018. Epub 2011 Aug 5.
Isoprenoids are one of the largest groups of natural compounds and have a variety of important functions in the primary metabolism of land plants and algae. In recent years, our understanding of the numerous facets of isoprenoid metabolism in land plants has been rapidly increasing, while knowledge on the metabolic network of isoprenoids in algae still lags behind. Here, current views on the biochemistry and genetics of the core isoprenoid metabolism in land plants and in the major algal phyla are compared and some of the most pressing open questions are highlighted. Based on the different evolutionary histories of the various groups of eukaryotic phototrophs, we discuss the distribution and regulation of the mevalonate (MVA) and the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathways in land plants and algae and the potential consequences of the loss of the MVA pathway in groups such as the green algae. For the prenyltransferases, serving as gatekeepers to the various branches of terpenoid biosynthesis in land plants and algae, we explore the minimal inventory necessary for the formation of primary isoprenoids and present a preliminary analysis of their occurrence and phylogeny in algae with primary and secondary plastids. The review concludes with some perspectives on genetic engineering of the isoprenoid metabolism in algae.
类异戊二烯是最大的天然化合物群之一，在陆生植物和藻类的初级代谢中具有多种重要功能。近年来，我们对陆生植物类异戊二烯代谢的众多方面的认识迅速增加，而藻类中类异戊二烯代谢的代谢网络的知识仍然落后。在这里，比较了陆生植物和主要藻类门中核心类异戊二烯代谢的生物化学和遗传学的最新观点，并强调了一些最紧迫的开放性问题。基于各种真核光合生物群的不同进化历史，我们讨论了甲羟戊酸（MVA）和甲基赤藓醇磷酸（MEP）途径在陆生植物和藻类中的分布和调节，以及绿藻等群体中失去 MVA 途径的潜在后果。对于在陆生植物和藻类中作为萜烯生物合成各种分支的门户的 prenyltransferase，我们探索了形成初级类异戊二烯所需的最小库存，并对具有初级和次级质体的藻类中的 prenyltransferase 的发生和系统发育进行了初步分析。综述最后对藻类中类异戊二烯代谢的遗传工程提出了一些看法。
