The Shikimate Pathway’s First Enzyme

The shikimate pathway, a major route of carbon metabolism, leads to the biosynthesis of the three aromatic amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan (Herrmann, 1983; Pittard, 1987). In some plants, more than 20% of the fixed carbon flows through this pathway, the bulk for biosynthesis of secondary metabolites such as lignins, phytoalexins, and alkaloids.