Mevalonate pathway

The mevalonate pathway converts acetyl-CoA into isopentenyl pyrophosphate and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate, precursors for sterols and many other isoprenoids.

Acetyl-CoA: A two-carbon molecule that carries acetyl groups into energy-producing and biosynthetic reactions. Three acetyl-CoA molecules supply the carbon skeleton for the pathway’s first committed intermediate.
Cholesterol: A membrane sterol and precursor to steroid hormones, bile acids, and vitamin D. The pathway supplies the isoprenoid units used to build cholesterol.
Methylerythritol phosphate pathway: A plastidial and many bacterial pathway that produces isopentenyl pyrophosphate and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate from pyruvate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. It reaches the same five-carbon products through different substrates and reactions.
Cholesterol biosynthesis: The sequence of cellular reactions that produces cholesterol from acetyl-CoA. It is a major destination of mevalonate-derived carbon and a target of pathway regulation.
3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA: A six-carbon intermediate formed from acetyl-CoA and acetoacetyl-CoA in sterol and ketone-body metabolism. HMG-CoA is the substrate whose reduction commits carbon to mevalonate synthesis.
Steroid hormone: A signaling molecule synthesized from cholesterol, including cortisol, aldosterone, and sex hormones. Steroid production depends indirectly on mevalonate-derived cholesterol.
Isoprenoid: A large family of molecules built from five-carbon isoprene units, including sterols, pigments, and signaling compounds. Both major biosynthetic routes feed the broader family of isoprenoids.
LDL receptor: A cell-surface protein that removes low-density lipoprotein particles from the bloodstream. Statin-driven cholesterol depletion increases receptor expression and promotes LDL clearance.
HMG-CoA reductase: An endoplasmic-reticulum-associated enzyme that reduces HMG-CoA to mevalonate using NADPH. This rate-controlling enzyme catalyzes the pathway’s principal regulated step.
Coenzyme Q10: A lipid-soluble electron carrier in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, also called ubiquinone. Its isoprenoid side chain is assembled from mevalonate-pathway products.

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