Elucidation of the 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis: straightforward syntheses of enantiopure 1-deoxy-d-xylulose from pentose derivatives

Optically pure 1-deoxy-d-xylulose, a key metabolite for feeding experiments in the methylerythritol phosphate pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis, is conveniently synthesised from 1,2-O-isopropylidene-α-d-xylofuranose or from d-arabinose. This renders labelling with hydrogen isotopes possible.