Nucleotide Metabolism Flashcards
What are the two means by which a cell can create nucleotides?
1) Can run a salvage pathway
2) Can make de novo
What are the derivatives needed for de novo pyrimidine synthesis?
1) Ribose
2) ATP
3) Asp and Gln
4) Bicarbonate
What is the step for preparing ribose as a donor?
ATP is bound to ribose to create PRPP
What compounds inhibit the creation of PRPP? Why would the reaction need to be stopped?
ADP and GDP
Excessive ADP and GDP levels will lead to heightened uric acid levels
What is the first step in the de novo synthesis of pyrimidines?
Bicarbonate, ATP, and an NH4 donated by Gln lead to the creation of carbamoyl phosphate
Where does the creation of carbamoyl phosphate for pyrimidine synthesis occur in a cell and what enzyme catalyzes it?
In the cytosol
Carbamoyl phosphate 2
What is the second step in the de novo synthesis of pyrimidines? What is the component that must be added to permit this to happen?
Creation of ororate from carbamoyl phosphate; aspartate
What type of enzyme permits the closure of the pyrimidine ring and where do its products go?
A FMN dependent dehydrogenase enables closure of the ring; its electrons are donated to the electron transport chain
How can ororate levels be diagnostic for disease?
If a patient has an inherited OTCase deficiency in the mitochondria, excess Nitrogenous waste will be shunted into ororate synthesis
Which drug can inhibit the transformation of carbamoyl aspartate to ororate?
Leflunomide (used in rheumatoid arthritis treatment)
What is the third step in de novo synthesis of pyrimidines? What is the Km of this enzyme in comparison to the Km of the enzymes that perform a similar function in purine creation?
Ororate+PRPP–>OMP
The Km for PRPP in the pyramidal synthesis is lower than the purine synthesis, so pyrimidine synthesis is not prevented by high purine levels.
What is the other function of the enzyme that creates OMP?
It serves as the salvage enzyme for pyrimidine bases (takes T, U, or C and attaches it directly to the sugar if the base is available)
What is the fourth step in de novo pyrimidine synthesis?
Orotidylate decarboxylase removes a carboxyl group from OMP to form UMP.
How is cytosine derived from uracil?
CTP synthase conducts the reaction:
UTP+ATP+H2O+Gln–>CTP+ADP+Pi+Glu
How are RNA bases converted to DNA bases?
The RTP is reduced by ribonucleotide reductase, an enzyme with a free radical tyrosine. This introduces a S-S bond into the protein which must be reversed.