Farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP), also known as farnesyl diphosphate (FDP), is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of
terpene
Terpenes () are a class of natural products consisting of compounds with the formula (C5H8)n for n > 1. Comprising more than 30,000 compounds, these unsaturated hydrocarbons are produced predominantly by plants, particularly conifers. Terpenes ...
s and
terpenoids such as
sterols
Sterol is an organic compound with formula , whose molecule is derived from that of gonane by replacement of a hydrogen atom in position 3 by a hydroxyl group. It is therefore an alcohol of gonane. More generally, any compounds that contain the gon ...
and
carotenoids. It is also used in the synthesis of
CoQ (part of the electron transport chain), as well as dehydrodolichol diphosphate (a precursor of
dolichol, which transports proteins to the ER lumen for
''N''-glycosylation).
Biosynthesis
Farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase
Dimethylallyltranstransferase (DMATT), also known as farnesylpyrophosphate synthase (FPPS) or as farnesyldiphosphate synthase (FDPS), is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the FDPS gene and catalyzes the transformation of dimethylallylpyr ...
(a
prenyl transferase) catalyzes sequential condensation reactions of
dimethylallyl pyrophosphate
Dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP; or alternatively, dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMADP); also isoprenyl pyrophosphate) is an isoprenoid precursor. It is a product of both the mevalonate pathway and the MEP pathway of isoprenoid precursor biosynt ...
with 2 units of 3-isopentenyl pyrophosphate to form farnesyl pyrophosphate, as is shown in the following two steps:
* Dimethylallyl pyrophosphate reacts with 3-isopentenyl pyrophosphate to form
geranyl pyrophosphate:
* Geranyl pyrophosphate then reacts with another molecule of 3-isopentenyl pyrophosphate to form farnesyl pyrophosphate
Pharmacology
The above reactions are inhibited by
bisphosphonates (used for
osteoporosis).
Farnesyl pyrophosphate is a selective agonist of
TRPV3.
Related compounds
*
Farnesene
*
Farnesol
Farnesol is a natural 15-carbon organic compound which is an acyclic sesquiterpene alcohol. Under standard conditions, it is a colorless liquid. It is hydrophobic, and thus insoluble in water, but miscible with oils.
Farnesol is produced from 5- ...
*
Geranyl pyrophosphate
*
Geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farnesyl Pyrophosphate
Organophosphates
Sesquiterpenes