Abstract
Mevalonate, added in the incubation medium, increases by nearly two‐fold the biosynthesis of ubiquinone in liver slices as evidenced by enhanced incorporation of radioactivity from labeled precursors of the benzoquinone moiety such as [1‐14C]benzoate and [Me‐14C]methionine. Other intermediates of isoprenoid biosynthesis such as mevalonic acid 5‐pyrophosphate and isopentenyl pyrophosphate show a qualitatively similar effect on labeling of ubiquinone. The stimulation due to mevalonate is even more marked under conditions in which its endogenous synthesis and/or utilisation is known to be impaired such as in liver slices from fasted or cholesterol‐fed rats and in liver slices from normal animals incubated in the presence of vanadium ions. These results strongly suggest that the rate of biosynthesis of mevalonate, the precursor of the poly‐isoprenoid side chain, is the probable limiting factor in the biogenesis of ubiquinone in the rat.
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