C55-isoprenyl pyrophosphate (also known as undecaprenyl pyrophosphate or C55-PP) is an essential molecule involved in the construction of the bacterial
peptidoglycan cell wall.
It is a receptor found in the
plasma membrane of bacteria allowing
glycan tetrapeptide monomers synthesized in the cell
cytoplasm
The cytoplasm describes all the material within a eukaryotic or prokaryotic cell, enclosed by the cell membrane, including the organelles and excluding the nucleus in eukaryotic cells. The material inside the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell a ...
to
translocate to the
periplasmic space.
C55-P (
undecaprenyl phosphate) is a related compound, containing one fewer
phosphate group
Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus.
In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosp ...
. It is produced from C55-PP by reaction
EC 3.6.1.27, typically catalyzed by UppP/BacA. C55-P is recycled back into C55-PP later in the process. C55-OH is known as
bactoprenol.
References
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Organophosphates
Terpenes and terpenoids