Geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP), also known as geranyl diphosphate (GDP), is the
pyrophosphate
In chemistry, pyrophosphates are phosphorus oxyanions that contain two phosphorus atoms in a linkage. A number of pyrophosphate salts exist, such as disodium pyrophosphate () and tetrasodium pyrophosphate (), among others. Often pyrophosphates a ...
ester of the terpenoid
geraniol
Geraniol is a monoterpenoid and an alcohol. It is the primary component of citronella oil and is a primary component of rose oil and palmarosa oil. It is a colorless oil, although commercial samples can appear yellow. It has low solubility i ...
. Its salts are colorless. It is a precursor to many thousands of
natural products
A natural product is a natural compound or substance produced by a living organism—that is, found in nature. In the broadest sense, natural products include any substance produced by life. Natural products can also be prepared by chemical s ...
.
Occurrence
GPP is an intermediate in the
isoprenoid biosynthesis pathway that produces longer prenyl chains such as
farnesyl pyrophosphate and
geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate
Geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of diterpenes and diterpenoids. It is also the precursor to carotenoids, gibberellins, tocopherols, and chlorophylls.
It is also a precursor to geranylgeranylated proteins, whic ...
as well as many
terpenes
Terpenes () are a class of natural products consisting of compounds with the formula (C5H8)n for n ≥ 2. Terpenes are major biosynthetic building blocks. Comprising more than 30,000 compounds, these unsaturated hydrocarbons are produced predomi ...
.
It can be prepared in the laboratory from geraniol.
Microbial toxicity
Intracellularly produced GPP has been shown to be toxic to the bacteria ''
E. coli'' at moderate doses.
Related compounds
*
Geraniol
Geraniol is a monoterpenoid and an alcohol. It is the primary component of citronella oil and is a primary component of rose oil and palmarosa oil. It is a colorless oil, although commercial samples can appear yellow. It has low solubility i ...
*
Farnesyl pyrophosphate
*
Geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate
Geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of diterpenes and diterpenoids. It is also the precursor to carotenoids, gibberellins, tocopherols, and chlorophylls.
It is also a precursor to geranylgeranylated proteins, whic ...
See also
*
Dimethylallyltranstransferase
References
Further reading
*Kulkarni RS, Pandit SS, Chidley HG, Nagel R, Schmidt A, Gershenzon J, Pujari KH, Giri AP and Gupta VS, 2013
Characterization of three novel isoprenyl diphosphate synthases from the terpenoid rich mango fruit Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 71, 121–131.
{{Cholesterol metabolism intermediates
Pyrophosphate esters
Monoterpenes