T08 - Purine and Pyrimidine Metabolism Flashcards
What is the basic structure of purines?
9-membered heterocyclic, aromatic double ring w/ 5 carbons and 4 nitrogens
Draw the generic structure of a purine. Identify where substituents can be placed.
What are the oxopurines?
hypoxanthine (1 OH group)
xanthine (2 OH groups)
uric acid (3 OH groups)
What is the significance of hypoxanthine?
initial product of de novo purine synthesis
What is the significance of uric acid?
end product of purine degradation that is excreted in urine
Knowing the structure of the oxopurines, how are the aminopurines adenine and guanine produced?
replace the -OH group in hypoxanthine with -NH2 → adenine
replace one of the -OH groups in xanthine with -NH2 → guanine
What is the generic structure of pyrimidines?
single 6-membered heterocyclic ring w/ 2 nitrogens and 4 carbons
What is the initial product of pyrimidine biosynthesis?
orotic acid, the precursor of the other pyrimidines
What is the significance of orotic acid?
initial product of pyrimidine biosynthesis, therefore the precursor to other pyrimidines
(T/F) Orotic acid’s only metabolic purpose is to serve as a pyrimidine precursor.
True. It does not have any other metabolic functions.
Decarboxylation of orotic acid produces
uracil
Substituting a keto group of uracil with an amino group yields
cytosine
What is the relationship between cytosine, thymine, uracil?
cytosine is deaminated to produce uracil
uracil is methylated to produce thymine
Differentiate between the terms nucleoside, ribonucleoside, ribonucleotide, and deoxyribonucleotide.
nucleoside = nitrogenous base
ribonucleoside = nitrogenous base + sugar (ribose)
ribonucleotide = nitrogenous base + sugar + 1 or more phosphate
deoxyribonucleotide = ribonucleotide with -OH at 2 position removed by ribonucleotide reductase
Write out the corresponding nucleosides and nucleotides for adenine.
adenine → adenosine → adenylate
Write out the corresponding nucleosides and nucleotides for guanine.
guanine → guanosine → guanylate
Write out the corresponding nucleosides and nucleotides for hypoxanthine.
hypoxanthine → inosine → inosinate
Write out the corresponding nucleosides and nucleotides for xanthine.
xanthine → xanthosine → xanthinate
What four compounds make up the purines?
adenine
guanine
hypoxanthine
xanthine
Write out the corresponding nucleosides and nucleotides for uracil.
uracil → uridine → uridylate
Write out the corresponding nucleosides and nucleotides for cytosine.
cytosine → cytidine → cytidylate
Write out the corresponding nucleosides and nucleotides for thymine.
thymine → thymidine → thymidylate
What three compounds make up the pyrimidines?
uracil
cytosine
thymine
Which form is most commonly encountered in cells — bases, nucleosides, or nucleotides?
nucleotides are most commonly encountered
How are purines primarily synthesized (i.e. what form do they assume)?
synthesized as inosine monophosphate (IMP), an example of a ribonucleotide monophosphate (rather than free base)
What are the carbon/nitrogen sources to form the purine ring?
glycine
aspartate
glutamine
formyl-tetrahydrofolate
Write out the equation of the first step of purine synthesis.
glutamine + PRPP → phosphoribosylamine + glutamate + PPi
What enzyme catalyzes the first dedicated step of purine synthesis?
PRPP amidotransferase
Describe the reversibility of the first dedicated step of purine synthesis.
irreversible, because of hydrolysis of pyrophosphate bond
What is the second step of purine synthesis?
phosphoribosylamine → formation of first 5-membered ring → formation of second 6-membered ring → inosine monophosphate
Inosine monophosphate is a common precursor for which two compounds?
adenosine monophosphate (an adenylate)
guanosine monophosphate (a guanylate)
How is IMP converted to AMP?
replace the carbonyl group of IMP with an amino group
The net synthesis of AMP from phosphoribosylamine consumes how many phosphates?
4 phosphates consumed:
2 to make the 5-membered ring
1 to make the 6-membered ring (i.e. form IMP)
1 to replace IMP C=O group w/ NH2 (i.e. form AMP)
How is IMP converted to GMP?
add C=O to form XMP
then add NH2 to form GMP
The net synthesis of GMP from phosphoribosylamine consumes how many phosphates?
5 phosphates consumed:
2 to make the 5-membered ring
1 to make the 6-membered ring (i.e. form IMP)
2 for IMP → XMP → GMP
How are the syntheses of AMP and GMP kept in balance?
reciprocal regulation:
AMP synthesis requires GTP and is feedback-inhibited by AMP
GMP synthesis requires ATP and is feedback-inhibited by GMP
AMP and GMP reciprocally regulate their syntheses. However, what happens if both AMP and GMP levels are high?
IMP (the precursor) will be degraded and excreted as uric acid instead of making more AMP/GMP
How is purine synthesis enzymatically regulated?
control of glutamine-PRPP amidotransferase:
- binding of substrate (PRPP) → conformational change in enzyme → increases activity
- enzyme is allosterically feedback-inhibited by purines
A defect in the feedback inhibition of glutamine-PRPP amidotransferase results in
gout:
faulty feedback inhibition → overproduction of purines → increased uric acid formation
What are salvage reactions?
reusing bases or nucleosides to reform nucleotides
What are the two purine salvage enzymes?
hypoxanthine/guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT)
adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT)