ABSTRACT
The production of chorismate from phosphoenolpyruvate and erythrose 4-phosphate, discussed in Chapter 4, constitutes the main trunk of the shikimate pathway, "a metabolic tree with many branches" (Bentley 1990). At least five branches emanate from chorismate, two of which are the subject of this chapter. The enzymes positioned at the initial branch points, anthranilate synthase and chorismate mutase, are elaborately regulated for the accurate metering of carbon from the main trunk of the aromatic pathway to the three aromatic amino acids. As reported in this chapter, our knowledge of the plant cultivar of this metabolic tree is beginning to flower.
