Isoprenoid biosynthesis via the methylerythritol phosphate pathway: GcpE and LytB, two novel iron–sulphur proteins

The methylerythritol phosphate pathway involved in the biosynthesis of isoprenoids was overlooked for several decades. It is present in many bacteria, in the chloroplasts of plants and in Plasmodium falciparum , the parasite responsible for malaria. This metabolic route represents an alternative to the well-known mevalonate pathway, which exists in animals, fungi, plant cytoplasm, archaebacteria and some eubacteria. Here is described how the last two enzymes of the methylerythritol phosphate pathway, two iron–sulphur proteins, were identified. This discovery was crucial as it eliminated the last bottlenecks in the elucidation of the methylerythritol phosphate pathway, a novel target for the design of new antibacterial and antiparasitic drugs.