Terpene synthase

A terpene synthase converts prenyl diphosphates into terpene products through reactions that often form multiple carbon–carbon bonds and ring structures. Its active site can direct one substrate into diverse molecular skeletons.

Prenyl diphosphate: A diphosphate ester of an isoprenoid chain that serves as a building block for terpenes and other isoprenoids. These substrates supply the carbon chains that terpene synthases rearrange.
Isoprenoid: A large family of natural compounds built from five-carbon isoprene units or their biosynthetic equivalents. Terpenes belong to this broader family of compounds.
Limonene synthase: A terpene synthase that converts geranyl diphosphate into limonene, a cyclic monoterpene. It illustrates how a defined substrate and enzyme yield a familiar volatile product.
Prenyltransferase: An enzyme that joins isoprene units to form longer prenyl diphosphates. It builds terpene synthase substrates rather than usually cyclizing them into terpene skeletons.
Terpene synthase active site: The substrate-binding region of a terpene synthase, where metal ions and amino-acid residues shape catalysis. Its confined geometry steers carbocation rearrangements toward particular products.
Isopentenyl diphosphate: A five-carbon activated isoprene unit used to build longer isoprenoid chains. It is a basic precursor from which terpene synthase substrates are assembled.
Taxadiene synthase: A diterpene synthase that catalyzes the formation of taxadiene, the first committed intermediate in paclitaxel biosynthesis. Its product begins the pathway to the anticancer drug paclitaxel.
Terpene cyclase: An enzyme that catalyzes ring-forming reactions in terpene biosynthesis; the term is often used for terpene synthases. The overlapping name highlights that many terpene synthases are defined by their cyclizing chemistry.
Carbocation: An ion containing a positively charged carbon atom, often stabilized by neighboring atoms or molecular rearrangement. Terpene synthases commonly build products through cascades of carbocation intermediates.
Geranyl diphosphate: A ten-carbon prenyl diphosphate that supplies the carbon skeleton for many monoterpenes. It is a common substrate for enzymes that make monoterpenes.

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