Biosynthesis of 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol in plants by rearrangement of the terpenoid precursor, 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate

Leaves of Liriodendron tulipifera convert 1-deoxy-D-xylulose to 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol via a skeletal rearrangement reminiscent of the formation of terpene precursors from 1-deoxy-D-xylulose. The data suggest that 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate is either an intermediate or a side product of the deoxyxylulose 4-phosphate pathway of terpenoid biosynthesis.