XVI International Botanical Congess

Isoprene is released to the atmosphere by certain plants in high amounts under heat and high light conditions and contributes to ozone formation together with nitrogen oxides. Using stable isotopes the biosynthesis of isoprene was studied. It is shown that isoprene, like other plastidic isoprenoids, is formed via the new non-mevalonate pathway of IPP formation. The first intermediate of the novel pathway is 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate which is transformed to IPP and DMAPP.