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A Mechanism of Benzoic Acid Biosynthesis in Plants and Bacteria that Mirrors Fatty Acid β-Oxidation
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2001
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Secondary MetabolismFatty Acid β-OxidationBiosynthesisEngineeringSame StereochemistryBiochemistryBenzoic AcidNatural SciencesBiocatalysisBenzoic Acid BiosynthesisNatural Product BiosynthesisMicrobiologyMetabolismNatural Product SynthesisPlant PhysiologyBiomolecular EngineeringPlant Metabolism
Despite the simple structure and widespread occurrence of benzoic acid, its biosynthesis has resisted complete elucidation. However, recent studies reveal that the conversion of cinnamoyl-CoA into benzoyl-CoA (see scheme; R=Ph) can proceed by a route that resembles fatty acid β-oxidation. Feeding studies and sequence analyses show that both pathways not only proceed with the same stereochemistry, but are also mechanistically related.