Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Carbocations

Carbocations

Carbocations are one of the reaction intermediates formed during several nucleophilic substitutions or elimination reactions. A carbocation is an electron-deficient species with the central carbon atom having six electrons and three bonded atoms. The central carbon in a carbocation is sp2 hybridized with trigonal planar geometry. It has an empty p orbital perpendicular to the plane of the structure that can accept electrons. Thus, carbocations act as strong electrophiles and may react with any...

Intracellular Signaling Cascades

Intracellular Signaling Cascades

Once a ligand binds to a receptor, the signal is transmitted through the membrane and into the cytoplasm. The continuation of a signal in this manner is called signal transduction. Signal transduction only occurs with cell-surface receptors, which cannot interact with most components of the cell, such as DNA. Only internal receptors can interact directly with DNA in the nucleus to initiate protein synthesis. When a ligand binds to its receptor, conformational changes occur that affect the...

Rab Cascades

Rab Cascades

Rab GTPases act in a regulated cascade during membrane fusion, helping the lipid bilayers mix. The Rab family of proteins are active when bound to GTP, and inactive when bound to GDP. Hence, they act as guanine nucleotide-dependent molecular switches. Rab-GTP recognizes and binds to long or short-range tethering proteins to capture the target vesicle. These tethers coordinate with SNAREs on the vesicle and the target membrane to assemble the trans SNARE complex that locks the mixing bilayers.

Atomic Structure

Atomic Structure

Atomic Mass

Atomic Mass

Atoms — and the protons, neutrons, and electrons that compose them — are extremely small. For example, a carbon atom weighs less than 2 × 10−23 g. When describing the properties of tiny objects such as atoms, we use appropriately small units of measure, such as the atomic mass unit (amu). The amu was originally defined based on hydrogen, the lightest element, then later in terms of oxygen. Since 1961, it has been defined with regard to the most abundant isotope of carbon, atoms of which...

Atomic Orbitals

Atomic Orbitals

An atomic orbital represents the three-dimensional regions in an atom where an electron has the highest probability to reside. The radial distribution function indicates the total probability of finding an electron within the thin shell at a distance r from the nucleus. The atomic orbitals have distinct shapes which are determined by l, the angular momentum quantum number. The orbitals are often drawn with a boundary surface, enclosing densest regions of the cloud.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Emerging enzymatic strategies for the synthesis of α-tertiary amino acids.

Communications chemistry·2026

Same author

Sinefungin Biosynthesis Employs a B<sub>12</sub>-Dependent Radical <i>S</i>-Adenosyl-l-methionine Enzyme Catalyzing C-Adenosylation of Arginine.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Enzymatic Access to Norstatines by PLP-Dependent Decarboxylative C-C Bond Formation Involved in Leuhistin Biosynthesis.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Search for Inhibitors against Inflammatory Responses of Microglia in a Meroterpenoid Library Constructed by Synthetic-Biological Manipulation of Biosynthetic Pathways.

ACS omega·2026

Same author

Skeletal editing via multi-step engineering of a modular polyketide synthase.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Diiron Monooxygenase Complex Involved in Antimycin Biosynthesis Transforms Anthraniloyl Thioester into 3-Aminosalicyl Thioester on a Carrier Protein.

Organic letters·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Carbocations: Types and Stability

Carbocations: Types and Stability

Inherent atomic mobility changes in carbocation intermediates during the sesterterpene cyclization cascade.

Hajime Sato^1,2, Takaaki Mitsuhashi³, Mami Yamazaki¹

¹Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8675, Japan.

Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry

|August 31, 2019

Summary

Two methyl groups in geranylfarnesyl diphosphate (GFPP) carbocations are key to controlling terpene formation. Their limited mobility helps preorganize GFPP for sesterterpene biosynthesis.

Keywords:

DFT biosynthesis carbocation substrate recognition terpene cyclase

More Related Videos

Intracellular Signaling Cascades and cAMP Pathway

Intracellular Signaling Cascades and cAMP Pathway

Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Published on: September 17, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Carbocations: Types and Stability

Carbocations: Types and Stability

Intracellular Signaling Cascades and cAMP Pathway

Intracellular Signaling Cascades and cAMP Pathway

Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Published on: September 17, 2017

Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Organic Chemistry
Molecular Biology

Background:

Terpene biosynthesis relies on carbocation intermediates, whose conformations dictate product selectivity.
The initial conformation of geranylfarnesyl diphosphate (GFPP) influences these intermediates, but the control mechanisms remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze atomic mobility in carbocation intermediates during sesterterpene biosynthesis.
To identify key structural features of GFPP involved in substrate fixation and preorganization.

Main Methods:

Detailed analysis of inherent atomic mobility in carbocation intermediates.
Computational methods to study molecular dynamics during cyclization.

Main Results:

Identified two specific methyl groups with minimal mobility in early-stage carbocation intermediates.
These methyl groups are crucial for the preorganization of GFPP within the enzyme's active site.

Conclusions:

The limited mobility of specific methyl groups on GFPP is critical for controlling its conformation.
This preorganization is essential for the regioselective and stereoselective biosynthesis of sesterterpenes like sesterfisherol and quiannulatene.