Day 9.3 Biochem Flashcards
Organizational relationship bt DNA and chromosomes
DNA –> nucleosomes –> chromatin –> chromosomes
What is a nucleosome?
Group of 8 histones w DNA wrapped around twice.
2 each of H2A, H2B, H3, H4
What AAs make up the histone octamer
Mostly lysine and arginine, which are positively charged, and therefore ionically bind the negatively charged DNA
Which histone is not part of the histone octamer (the nucleosome core)?
H1
When does DNA condense?
In mitosis, it condenses to form mitotic chromosomes.
Heterochromatin, Euchromatin
HeteroChromatin = Highly Condensed.
Transcriptionally inactive, sterically inaccessible.
Euchromatin (Eu = True-ly transcribed)
Less condensed, transcriptionally active and sterically accessible.
How do additions to lysine affect DNA transcription?
Adding an acetyl or removing a methyl group decreases DNA affinity for the histone, causing it to become euchromatin.
Euchromatin = transcriptionally active.
So, if you add acetyl or remv methyl, you can make proteins!
If you do the opposite- remove acetyl or add methyl, you make the DNA have MORE affinity for the histone –> heterochromatin.
Methylation of DNA strands during replication
On the template (parent) strand, cytosine and adenine are methylated during DNA replication.
This allows mismatch repair enz to distinguish b/t the old and new strands- it’s more likely that the new strand is going to be the one with the problem.
What effect does hypermethylation have on the transcription of DNA
Adding methyl groups causes DNA to become condensed into Heterochromatin, so transcription can’t occur.
Hypermethylation inactivates DNA transcription.
What effect does histone acetylation have on DNA transcription?
Histone acetylation relaxes DNA coiling (changes it to euchromatin), which allows transcription to take place.
Methylation effect on DNA
Acetylation effect on DNA
Methylation makes DNA Mute (heterochromatin, highly condensed/transcriptionally inactive form)
Methyl groups are sml, so they allow histones to stay together.
Acetylation makes DNA Active
(euchromatin, transcriptionally active form)
Acetyl groups are bigger, so they push DNA away from histones.
What are the nucleotides? How many rings? What’s in DNA vs RNA
Purines: A, G; 2 rings
Pyrimidines: C, T, U (1 ring- Py (pies) have a single ring)
DNA = A, G, C, T RNA = A, G, C, U
Which nucleotide has a ketone?
Which has a methyl?
Guanine has a ketone
Thymine has a meTHYl
How is uracil made?
Deamination of cytosine.
The NH2 is taken off of cytosine and replaced w an O.
Number of bonds between the nucleotides
G-C has 3 H+ bonds
A-T has 2 H+ bonds
So, DNA with higher G-C content is harder to melt, therefore has a HIGHER melting temp.
(Note that DNA length also affects melting temp- longer DNA has higher)
Difference bt nucleotide and nucleoside
Nucleoside = Sugar(ribose) + Base Nucleotide = Sugar(ribose) + Base + Phosphate(mono/di/tri)
Nucleotides are linked by 3’ to 5’ phosphodiester bonds.
Adenine vs adenosine
Guanine vs guanosine
the -sine is the nucleoside (Base + sugar).
otherwise, it just means the base.
So adenine and guanine are bases.
Adenosine and Guanosine are the nucleosides (base + sugar).
What AAs are necessary for purine synthesis? What are the carbon sources?
Glycine
Aspartate
Glutamate
CO2, glycine, and THF are the sources of carbons.
What is necessary for Pyrimidine synthesis?
Aspartate and Carbamoyl phosphate
The precursors for carbamoyl phosphate are CO2 (for the carbon) and glutamine (for the nitrogen)
Also need THF to make it.
Is glycine needed in purine or pyrimidine synthesis?
Only purine synthesis
What are the precursors for purines? pyrimidines?
Purines: IMP precursor
IMP –> AMP
IMP –> GMP (this is by IMP dehydrogenase)
Pyrimidines: Orotate precursor, PRPP is added later.
Orotic acid –> OMP –> UMP –> UDP
UDP –> > > > dTMP (DNA) (this is by thymidylate synthase)
UDP –> CTP
Which is made first, ribonucleotides or deoxyribonucleotides?
Ribonucleotides.
The deoxyribonucleotides come from the ribonucleotides. Ribonucleotide reductase is the enz that converts them.
What 2 pathways use carbamoyl phosphate?
Denovo pyrimidine synthesis
Urea cycle
OTC deficiency
Ornithine transcarbamoylase (OTC) normally converts carbamoyl phosphate to Citurulline, which is part of the urea cycle.
In OTC deficiency, the carbamoyl phosphate cannot be converted to citrulline and builds up, so it enters the other pathway it’s part of- denovo pyrimidine synthesis. Carbamoyl phosphate is converted to orotic acid.
How is carbamoyl phosphate made?
ATP + CO2 + Glutamine
and the enzyme CPS-2
What is the rate-limiting step in pyrimidine synthesis?
CPS-2 enz, which converts ATP, CO2, and glutamate into carbamoyl phosphate.
(Carbamoyl phosphate is then converted to orotic acid and pyrimidines are made from that.)
How does the order differ in pyrimidine vs purine synthesis?
Purines:
- Start w Sugar and PRPP (phosphate)
- Add base
Pyrimidines
- Start w (temporary) base (Orotic acid)
- Add Sugar and PRPP (phosphate)
- Modify the base
When you build a pyramid, you need to start w a base!
What are the steps in pyrimidine synthesis?
Orotic acid + PRPP (+orotic acid phosphoribosyltransferase)
OMP (+5’-phosphate decarboxylase)
UMP
UDP (+ribonucleotide reductase)
UDP –> CTP
or
UDP –> dUDP –> dUMP (+THF and thymidylate synthase) –> dTMP
What role does folate play in pyrimidine synthesis?
Methylene THF is needed to convert dUMP to dTMP (final pyrimidine product), along with the enz thymidylate synthase.
In this process, methylene THF is converted to DHF.
DHF is converted back to THF by the enz dihydrofolate reductase. (And the THF is converted to methylene THF)
What are the steps in purine synthesis?
Ribose-5-P (+PRPP synthetase)
PRPP (+gluamine PRPP amidotransferase)
»+Hypoxanthine –»»
IMP
IMP –> AMP
or
IMP (+IMP dyhydrogenase) –> GMP
What is the rate-limiting step of purine synthesis?
Glutamine PRPP amidotransferase, which converts PRPP to the next step in the pathway to make IMP.
What does ribonucleotide reductase do? What drug blocks it?
RNR converts UDP –> > > dTMP
(It also makes deoxy-nucleotides from the other ribonucleotides)
Blocked by Hydroxyurea
(anti-cancer, used in sickle cell)
What does PRPP synthetase do? What drug blocks it?
PRPP synthetase converts Ribose-5-P to PRPP in the first step of denovo purine synthesis.
Blocked by 6-MP (mercaptopurine)
What does Thymidylate Synthase do?
What drug blocks it?
Converts dUMP to dTMP (folate is also req’d)
Blocked by 5-FU (anti-cancer)
What does IMP dehydrogenase do?
What drug blocks it?
Converts the IMP to GMP in purine synthesis.
Blocked by Mycophenylate (an immunosuppressant)
What does Dihydrofolate Reductase do?
What drugs block it?
DHFR converts DHF to THF (need to regenerate the THF for pyrimidine synthesis)
MTX blocks it in eukaryotes
TMP blocks it in prokaryotes (so use for bacterial infections)
What causes orotic aciduria?
Can’t convert Orotic Acid to UMP in the denovo pyrimidine synth pathway.
Caused by defect in one of two enz:
1. orotic acid phosphoribosyltransferase (which converts orotic acid to OMP)
2. orotidine 5’-phosphate decarboxylase
(which converts OMP to UMP)
Auto-recessive.
Findings in orotic aciduria
Since you can’t convert orotic acid to UMP, orotic acid builds up, and there is increased orotic acid in urine.
There is also megaloblastic anemia (which, unlike most of the time, does NOT improve w admin of folate or B12)
And FTT.
No hyperammonia (vs OTC def- which is also increased orotic acid)
If there is increase orotic acid in the urine, what is the next thing you should check?
Ammonia levels.
Hyperammonia - OTC deficiency (bc can’t get rid of it in the urea cycle)
No hyperammonia - orotic aciduria (urea cycle is fine)
Rx for orotic aciduria?
Oral uridine administration
Just bypass the pathway w the faulty enz and start pyrimidine synthesis w the UMP.
What is the goal of breaking down purines?
Turn them into uric acid, which can be excreted in urine.
What can Guanine be converted to?
GMP (guanylic acid)
Guanosine (nucleoside)
Xanthine
What can Hypoxanthine be converted to?
IMP (Inosinic acid)
Inosine
Xanthine
What can Adenine be converted to?
AMP (adenylic acid) only.
Converted by enz APRT (the equivalent of HGPRT, which converts Hypoxanthine and Guanine)
What is IMP converted to?
AMP or GMP
What two things can xanthine be made from?
Guanine or Hypoxanthine
What does xanthine oxidase do?
Converts Hypoxanthine to Xanthine, and also converts Xanthine to Uric Acid (which is excreted in urine)
What drug blocks xanthine oxidase?
Allopurinol. Since it doesn’t allow uric acid to be formed, it is good for treating (chronic) gout.
Can also be used for the gout and hyperuricemia of Lesch-Nyhan syndrome
What is Lesch-Nyhan syndrome?
Defective purine salvage d/t absence of HGPRT (which converts hypoxanthine to IMP and guanine to GMP).
Buildup of guanine and hypoxanthine mean that they are both converted to xanthine, which makes a lot of uric acid.
Findings: Hyperuricemia, gout, MR, self-mutilation (esp lip-biting), choreoathetosis, aggression.
X-linked Recessive
HGPRT = He’s got purine recovery trouble
What does HGPRT do?
H = hypoxanthine
G = guanine
Converts hypoxanthine and guanine to IMP and GMP respectively.
What is the treatment for Lesch-Nyhan
Allopurinol, which inhibits xanthine oxidase, so there is less uric acid in the blood.
Only fixes the gout and hyperuricemia tho, not the MR, CNS issues.
What drugs are metabolized by xanthine oxidase, and therefore will have increased toxicity if the pt is also taking allopurinol?
6-MP (anti-cancer), and the related drug Azithoprine.
These are both metabolized by xanthine oxidase.
Allopurinol inhibits xanthine oxidase, so XO won’t be able to metabolize 6-MP as usual, so there will be more toxicity from 6-MP since it doesn’t get metabolized.
(Toxic to bone marrow, GI, liver)
What is adenosine converted to?
AMP
or Inosine
(and inosine is then converted to hypoxanthine)
What enz converts adenosine to inosine?
Adenosine Deaminase (ADA)
What is adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency?
Can’t convert adenosine to inosine.
So excess adenosine (and therefore excess AMP)
Excess ATP and dATP cause imbalance in the nucleotide pool via feedback inhibition of ribonuceloside reductase (RNR converts ribo to deoxyrib)
This prevents DNA synth and therefore decreases lymphocyte count (a lot).
Mjr cause of SCID
Main sx of SCID, cause
SCID- severe combined immunodeficiency. Severe recurrent infections Chronic diarrhea FTT No thymic shadow on xray
1st dz to be treated by experimental human gene therapy.
Can be caused by 7 different genetic problems, one of which is Adenosine Deaminase (ADA) deficiency.
Silent mutation
Can of one base pair (often in 3rd wobble position) that results in the same AA being created.
Since AA is the same, not very problematic.
Missense mutation
Mutation in a base pair that results in a different AA- but one that is similar to the structure of the original AA (aka it’s a conservative mutation)
Not very problematic, unless the mutation is at an active site- then can make the active site unable to bind/non-fnl.
Nonsense mutation
Stop the nonsense!
Base pair change that results in a stop codon being produced instead of the normal AA.
What are the 3 stop codons?
UGA
UAG
UAA
Frameshift mutation
Change (insertion or deletion) of a base pair such that the 3-base pair frame is shifted, so all AAs downstream of the shift are misread.
Usu results in truncated, non-fnl protein
Rank the severity of damage of DNA mutations
- Nonsense (worst)
- Missense
- Silent
Origin of DNA replication
Particular seq in genome where the DNA replication begins
Prokaryotes: 1 origin
Eukaryotes: multiple origins
Replication fork
Y-shaped region along DNA template where the leading and lagging strands are synthesized.