Substrate specificity of farnesyl diphosphate synthase from Bacillus stearothermophilus

The substrate specificity of farnesyl diphosphate synthase from Bacillus stearothermophilus was studied and compared with that of the pig liver counterpart. Allylic diphosphate analogs having hydrocarbon chains were accepted as good substrates by both enzymes. However, the bacterial enzyme hardly accepted analogs having oxygen atoms in their chains, which are well accepted by the pig liver enzyme, indicating that the former has more stringent specificity than the latter.