title: Synthesis of the α,ω-dicarboxylic acid precursor of biotin by the canonical fatty acid biosynthetic pathway.
abstract: Biotin synthesis requires the C7 α,ω-dicarboxylic acid, pimelic acid. Although pimelic acid was known to be primarily synthesized by a head to tail incorporation of acetate units, the synthetic mechanism was unknown. It has recently been demonstrated that in most bacteria the biotin pimelate moiety is synthesized by a modified fatty acid synthetic pathway in which the biotin synthetic intermediates are O-methyl esters disguised to resemble the canonical intermediates of the fatty acid synthetic pathway. Upon completion of the pimelate moiety, the methyl ester is cleaved. A very restricted set of bacteria have a different pathway in which the pimelate moiety is formed by cleavage of fatty acid synthetic intermediates by BioI, a member of the cytochrome P450 family.
authors: Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. j-cronan@life.uiuc.edu
authors: John E
authors: JE
authors: Cronan
authors: Steven
authors: S
authors: Lin
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways; D001710:Biotin / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis; D010867:Pimelic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D010867:Pimelic Acids; D001710:Biotin