AUTHOR=Duarte Daniel P. , Ferreira Éden R. , Lima Fabio M. , Batista Franciane , De Groote Michel , Horjales Eduardo , Miletti Luiz C. , Bahia Diana TITLE=Molecular Characterization of Trypanosoma evansi Mevalonate Kinase (TeMVK) JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology VOLUME=8 YEAR=2018 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2018.00223 DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2018.00223 ISSN=2235-2988 ABSTRACT=
The mevalonate pathway is an essential part of isoprenoid biosynthesis leading to production of a diverse class of >30,000 biomolecules including cholesterol, heme, and all steroid hormones. In trypanosomatids, the mevalonate pathway also generates dolichols, which play an essential role in construction of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) molecules that anchor variable surface proteins (VSGs) to the plasma membrane. Isoprenoid biosynthesis involves one of the most highly regulated enzymes in nature, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR), which catalyzes the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonic acid. The enzyme mevalonate kinase (MVK) subsequently converts mevalonic acid to 5-phosphomevalonic acid.