Protoporphyrinogen IX

Protoporphyrinogen IX is an organic chemical compound which is produced along the synthesis of porphyrins, a class of critical biochemicals that include hemoglobin and chlorophyll. It is a direct precursor of protoporphyrin IX.

Protoporphyrinogen IX

Identifiers
CAS Number	7412-77-3 Y
MeSH	protoporphyrinogen
PubChem CID	20849104
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID90225068
Properties
Chemical formula	C34H38N4O4
Molar mass	566.7 g/mol
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Y verify (what is YN ?) Infobox references

The compound is a porphyrinogen, meaning that it has a non-aromatic hexahydroporphine core, which will be oxidized to a porphine core in later stages of the heme synthesis. Like most porphyrinogens, it is colorless.^{[citation needed]}

Biosynthesis

The compound is synthesized in most organisms from coproporphyrinogen III by the enzyme coproporphyrinogen oxidase:

The process entails conversion of two of four propionic acid groups to vinyl groups. In coproporphyrinogen III, the substituents on the pyrrole rings have the arrangement MP-MP-MP-PM, where M and P are methyl and propionic acid, respectively. In protoporphyrinogen IX, the sequence becomes MV-MV-MP-PM, where V is vinyl.

By the action of protoporphyrinogen oxidase, protoporphyrinogen IX is later converted into protoporphyrin IX, the first colored tetrapyrrole in the biosynthesis of hemes.^[1]