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A Customizable Approach for the Enzymatic Production and Purification of Diterpenoid Natural Products
Published on: October 4, 2019
Enzymatic synthesis of isoprene from dimethylallyl diphosphate in aspen leaf extracts
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0215.
Abstract:
Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) leaf extracts contain a newly discovered enzyme activity that catalyzes the magnesium ion-dependent elimination of diphosphate from dimethylallyl diphosphate with rearrangement to form isoprene (2-methyl, 1-3-butadiene). This isoprene synthase activity has been partially purified. The nonenzymatic reaction of dimethylallyl diphosphate to isoprene, known to be acid catalyzed, may be insignificant at physiological pH. In contrast, the enzymatic reaction may be responsible for the majority of light-dependent isoprene production by isoprene-emitting plants.
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