Ketopantoic acid is the
organic compound
In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. The ...
with the formula HOCH
2(CH
3)
2CC(O)CO
2H. At
physiological condition
Physiological condition or, more often "physiological conditions" is a term used in biology, biochemistry, and medicine. It refers to conditions of the external or internal milieu that may occur in nature for that organism or cell system, in contr ...
s, ketopantoic acid exists as its
conjugate base
A conjugate acid, within the Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, is a chemical compound formed when an acid donates a proton () to a base—in other words, it is a base with a hydrogen ion added to it, as in the reverse reaction it loses a ...
, ketopantoate (HOCH
2(CH
3)
2CC(O)CO
2−).
Biosynthetic context
Its biosynthesis proceeds from
ketoisovalerate
α-Ketoisovaleric acid is an organic compound with the formula (CH3)2CHC(O)CO2H. It is a ketoacid. With a melting point just above room temperature, it is usually an oil or semi-solid. The compound is colorless. It is a metabolite of valine an ...
by
hydroxymethylation Hydroxymethylation is a chemical reaction that installs the CH2OH group. The transformation can be implemented in many ways and applies to both industrial and biochemical processes.
Hydroxymethylation with formaldehyde
A common method for hydroxym ...
:
:(CH
3)
2CHC(O)CO
2− + CH
2O → HOCH
2(CH
3)
2CC(O)CO
2−
This conversion is catalyzed by ketopantoate hydroxymethyltransferase, which gives ketopantoate.
Ketopantoate is substrate for
2-dehydropantoate 2-reductase, which produces
pantoate, a precursor to
pantothenic acid
Pantothenic acid, also called vitamin B5 is a water-soluble B vitamin and therefore an essential nutrient. All animals require pantothenic acid in order to synthesize coenzyme A (CoA) – essential for fatty acid metabolism – as well as to, i ...
, a common prosthetic group.
[{{cite book , doi=10.1016/S0083-6729(01)61005-7, chapter=The Biosynthesis of Coenzyme a in Bacteria, title=Cofactor Biosynthesis, series=Vitamins & Hormones, year=2001, last1=Begley, first1=Tadhg P., last2=Kinsland, first2=Cynthia, last3=Strauss, first3=Erick, volume=61, pages=157–171, pmid=11153265, isbn=9780127098616]
References