Isopropylmalic acid (isopropylmalate) is an intermediate in the

biosynthesis Biosynthesis, i.e., chemical synthesis occurring in biological contexts, is a term most often referring to multi-step, enzyme-Catalysis, catalyzed processes where chemical substances absorbed as nutrients (or previously converted through biosynthe ...

leucine Leucine (symbol Leu or L) is an essential amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. Leucine is an α-amino acid, meaning it contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated −NH3+ form under biological conditions), an α-Car ...

, synthesized from oxoisovalerate by

2-isopropylmalate synthase In enzymology, a 2-isopropylmalate synthase () is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction :acetyl-CoA + 3-methyl-2-oxobutanoate + H2O \rightleftharpoons (2S)-2-isopropylmalate + CoA The three substrates of this enzyme are acetyl-CoA, 3- ...

and converted into isopropyl-3-oxosuccinate by

3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase 3-Isopropylmalate dehydrogenase () is an enzyme that is a part of the isopropylmalate dehydrogenase family, which catalyzes the chemical reactions: : (2R,3S)-3-isopropylmalate + NAD+ \rightleftharpoons 4-methyl-2-oxopentanoate + CO2 + NADH ...

. Two isomers are important, the 2- and 3-isopropyl derivatives, and these are interconverted by isopropylmalate dehydratase.

References

{{Pharmacy-stub Dicarboxylic acids Alpha hydroxy acids Isopropyl compounds