| Names | |
|---|---|
| IUPAC name 3-[8,12,17-tris(2-carboxyethyl)-3,7,13,18-tetramethyl-5,10,15,20,21,22, 23,24-octahydroporphyrin-2-yl]propanoic acid | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) | |
| ChemSpider | |
| MeSH | Coproporphyrinogen+III |
PubChem CID | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
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| Properties | |
| C36H44N4O8protonated carboxylic acids | |
| Molar mass | 660.757 g/mol |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). | |
Coproporphyrinogen III is a metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis of many compounds that are critical for living organisms, such as hemoglobin and chlorophyll. It is a colorless solid.
The compound is a porphyrinogen, a class of compounds characterized by a hexahydroporphine core with various side chains. The coproporphyrinogens have the outermost hydrogen atoms of the core replaced by four methyl groups −CH3 (M) and four propionic acid groups −CH2−CH2−COOH (P). In coproporphyrogen III, the order around the outer ring is MP-MP-MP-PM. For comparison, coproporphyrinogen I has them in the sequence MP-MP-MP-MP. heme.
In the main porphyrin biosynthesis pathway, coproporphyrinogen III is derived from uroporphyrinogen III by the action of the enzyme uroporphyrinogen III decarboxylase: [1]
The conversion entails four decarboxylations, which turn the four acetic acid groups −CH2−COOH into methyl groups −CH3, with release of four carbon dioxide molecules. [2] [3]
Coproporphyrinogen III is further used as a substrate for the enzyme coproporphyrinogen III oxidase which oxidizes and further decarboxylates it to protoporphyrinogen IX. [4]