In enzymology, a 1-deoxy--xylulose-5-phosphate synthase () is an

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecule ...

in the

non-mevalonate pathway The non-mevalonate pathway—also appearing as the mevalonate-independent pathway and the 2-''C''-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate/1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (MEP/DOXP) pathway—is an alternative metabolic pathway for the biosynthesis of the i ...

that

catalyzes Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...

the

chemical reaction A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. Classically, chemical reactions encompass changes that only involve the positions of electrons in the forming and break ...

:pyruvate + -glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate

\rightleftharpoons

1-deoxy--xylulose 5-phosphate + CO₂ Thus, the two substrates of this enzyme are

pyruvate Pyruvic acid (CH3COCOOH) is the simplest of the alpha-keto acids, with a carboxylic acid and a ketone functional group. Pyruvate, the conjugate base, CH3COCOO−, is an intermediate in several metabolic pathways throughout the cell. Pyruvic aci ...

and -glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, whereas its two products are 1-deoxy--xylulose 5-phosphate and CO₂. This enzyme belongs to the family of

transferase A transferase is any one of a class of enzymes that catalyse the transfer of specific functional groups (e.g. a methyl or glycosyl group) from one molecule (called the donor) to another (called the acceptor). They are involved in hundreds of ...

s, specifically those transferring

aldehyde In organic chemistry, an aldehyde () is an organic compound containing a functional group with the structure . The functional group itself (without the "R" side chain) can be referred to as an aldehyde but can also be classified as a formyl group ...

or ketonic groups (transaldolases and transketolases, respectively). The systematic name of this enzyme class is pyruvate:-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate acetaldehydetransferase (decarboxylating). Other names in common use include 1-deoxy--xylulose-5-phosphate pyruvate-lyase (carboxylating), and DXP-synthase. This enzyme participates in

biosynthesis of steroids A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; a ...

Structural studies

As of late 2007, two structures have been solved for this class of enzymes, with PDB accession codes and .

References

* * EC 2.2.1 Enzymes of known structure {{transferase-stub