Phosphorylation of farnesol by a cell-free system from Botryococcus braunii

Farnesol was incorporated into squalene as well as botryococcenes when the alcohol was fed to the culture of Botryococcus braunii B race strain. In in vitro experiments with a 10,000 x g supernatant of cell homogenate, squalene was synthesized from farnesyl diphosphate in the presence of NADPH or NADH, but botryococcenes were not synthesized under the same conditions. A 100,000 x g pelet fraction was able to phosphorylate farnesol to give its mono- and diphosphate esters in a CTP dependent manner.