class=skin-invert-image|thumb|500px|Mevalonate pathway diagram showing the conversion of acetyl-CoA into isopentenyl pyrophosphate, the essential building block of all isoprenoids. The eukaryotic variant is shown in black. Archaeal variants are shown in red and blue.
The mevalonate pathway, also known as the isoprenoid pathway or HMG-CoA reductase pathway is an essential metabolic pathway present in eukaryotes, archaea, and some bacteria.)
Diseases
A number of diseases affect the mevalonate pathway:
- Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency
- Mevalonic Aciduria
- Hyperimmunoglobulinemia D Syndrome (HIDS).
Alternative pathway
Plants, most bacteria, and some protozoa such as malaria parasites have the ability to produce isoprenoids using an alternative pathway called the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) or non-mevalonate pathway. In higher plants, the MEP pathway operates in plastids while the mevalonate pathway operates in the cytosol.
External links
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute page on cholesterol synthesis (including regulation)