Inhibitor studies of isopentenyl pyrophosphate biosynthesis in suspension cultures of the yew Taxus chinensis var. mairei.

Some metabolic inhibitors, mevastatin (MVS), chlorocholine chloride (CCC), sodium pyrophosphate (NaPP) and D,L-glyceraldehyde (DLG), were respectively added into the suspension cultures of the yew Taxus chinensis var. mairei at the late phase of cell growth to study isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) biosynthesis. The content of total taxanes decreased in the cases of MVS, NaPP and DLG addition, regardless of the inhibitor concentration, whereas it increased in the case of CCC addition. It was thus presumed that a mevalonate pathway might exist in IPP biosynthesis at the late growth phase of Taxus cells and that some IPP might transfer from the cytoplasm to the plastids. This presumption was also confirmed by analysing the effects of the inhibitors on taxane content. It was further demonstrated that IPP in the biosynthesis of taxol, baccatin III and 10-deacetylbaccatin III might transfer from the cytoplasm to the plastids, whereas the translocation of IPP might be not involved in cephalomannine biosynthesis. Furthermore, in combination with the results of previous studies, it is very probable that different IPP biosynthesis pathways exist during different growth phases in Taxus cells.