Synthesis of Purine and Pyrimidines

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and concepts related to the synthesis of purines and pyrimidines, as outlined in the lecture notes.

Purines

Nitrogenous bases containing a two-ring structure, including adenine and guanine.

IMP

Inosine monophosphate, a purine nucleotide.

De novo

Refers to the process of synthesizing nucleotides from scratch.

Pyrimidines

Nitrogenous bases containing a single-ring structure, including cytosine, thymine, and uracil.

Nucleotide

The basic building block of nucleic acids, composed of a base, a sugar, and one or more phosphate groups.

Biosynthesis

The process by which living organisms produce complex molecules from simpler ones.

UMP

Uridine monophosphate, a pyrimidine nucleotide.

dUMP

Deoxy-uridine monophosphate, a nucleotide derived from uridine.

Salvage Pathway

A metabolic pathway that recycles nucleotides from degraded nucleic acids.

AMP

Adenosine monophosphate, a nucleotide that plays a key role in energy transfer.

GMP

Guanosine monophosphate, a nucleotide that is a building block of RNA.

UTP

Uridine triphosphate, used in RNA synthesis.

dTTP

Deoxy-thymidine triphosphate, a nucleotide used in DNA synthesis.

ATP

Adenosine triphosphate, the primary energy carrier in cells.

GTP

Guanosine triphosphate, involved in energy transfer and protein synthesis.

CTP

Cytidine triphosphate, a nucleotide that contributes to RNA synthesis.

Nucleic acids

Polymers of nucleotides that store and express genetic information.

Base

The component of a nucleotide that contains nitrogen and determines the identity of the nucleotide.

Sugar

A five-carbon sugar molecule component of nucleotides; either ribose or deoxyribose.

Phosphate

A phosphorus atom bonded to four oxygen atoms; essential for forming nucleotides.

Adenine

A purine base found in DNA and RNA.

Guanine

A purine base that pairs with cytosine in DNA and RNA.

Thymine

A pyrimidine base found in DNA.

Cytosine

A pyrimidine base that pairs with guanine in DNA and RNA.

Ribose

A five-carbon sugar present in RNA nucleotides.

Deoxyribose

A five-carbon sugar present in DNA nucleotides, lacking one oxygen.

Nucleosides

Molecules formed from a base and a sugar, without phosphate groups.

Glycosidic bond

The bond formed between a sugar and a nitrogenous base in nucleosides.

Monophosphate

A nucleotide that contains one phosphate group.

Diphosphate

A nucleotide that contains two phosphate groups.

Triphosphate

A nucleotide that contains three phosphate groups.

PRPP

5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate, an important precursors in the synthesis of purines and pyrimidines.

Enzyme

A protein that catalyzes biochemical reactions.

Synthetase

An enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of compounds.

Adenylate kinase

An enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion of adenine nucleotides.

Nucleotide structure

Composed of a nitrogenous base, sugar, and phosphate.

Thymidylate synthase

Enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of dUMP to dTMP.

Orotate

The intermediate in the synthesis of pyrimidines.

N10-formyltetrahydrofolate

A cofactor that provides carbon units in purine synthesis.

Hypoxanthine

A purine base that is a precursor in the synthesis of AMP and GMP.

Xanthine

An oxidized form of purine that is a precursor to uric acid.

Ribonucleotide reductase

Enzyme that reduces ribonucleotides to their deoxyribonucleotide counterparts.

Thioredoxin

A redox protein involved in maintaining the reduced state of other proteins.

Adenosine

Nucleoside formed from adenine and ribose.

Guanosine

Nucleoside formed from guanine and ribose.

Uridine

Nucleoside formed from uracil and ribose.

Cytidine

Nucleoside formed from cytosine and ribose.

Deoxyadenosine

Nucleoside formed from adenine and deoxyribose.

Deoxyguanosine

Nucleoside formed from guanine and deoxyribose.

Deoxycytidine

Nucleoside formed from cytosine and deoxyribose.

Deoxythymidine

Nucleoside formed from thymine and deoxyribose.

Nucleotide synthesis

The process of forming nucleotides from nucleosides by adding phosphate groups.

Synthetic inhibitor

Compound that inhibits specific biological processes, often used in treatments.

Salvage of nucleotides

Process of recycling nucleotides from degraded nucleic acids.

Orotidine 5'-monophosphate (OMP)

A pyrimidine nucleotide intermediate.

Thymidine monophosphate (TMP)

A nucleotide formed from dUMP in DNA synthesis.

Fluorouracil

A thymine analog used as an antitumor agent.

Dihydrofolate reductase

Enzyme that reduces dihydrofolate to tetrahydrofolate.

Adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT)

Enzyme involved in the salvage pathway of adenine.

Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT)

Enzyme that salvages hypoxanthine and guanine.

Carbamoyl phosphate

An intermediate in pyrimidine synthesis.

CPS II

Carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II; regulates pyrimidine synthesis.

Orotate decarboxylase

Enzyme that converts OMP to UMP.

5-Fluorouracil

A drug that inhibits thymidylate synthase for cancer treatment.

Cyclic AMP (cAMP)

A second messenger involved in signal transduction.

Cyclic GMP (cGMP)

A second messenger involved in signal transduction.

Nucleotide derivatives

Modified nucleotides that play roles in metabolic reactions.

Energy transfer

The process of transferring energy through ATP and GTP.

Signal transduction

The process by which cells respond to signals from their environment.

Metabolism

All chemical reactions in living organisms to maintain life.

NADPH

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate; a reducing agent.

Genetic information

Information encoded in nucleic acids for biological functions.

Liver

An organ responsible for many metabolic processes, including nucleotide synthesis.

Erythrocytes

Red blood cells that lack the machinery for de novo synthesis.

Amino acids

Organic compounds that serve as the building blocks of proteins.

Glutamine

An amino acid used in nucleotide synthesis.

Aspartic acid

An amino acid that contributes atoms to purine synthesis.

Bioenergetics

Study of energy flow and transformation in biological systems.

Metabolic regulation

Control of metabolic pathways and enzyme activity.

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA)

RNA component of the ribosome, essential for protein synthesis.

Transfer RNA (tRNA)

RNA that carries amino acids to the ribosome during translation.

mRNA

Messenger RNA that conveys genetic information for protein synthesis.

Degradation pathway

Process by which nucleotides are broken down and recycled.

Ribose 5-phosphate

A sugar derivative critical for nucleotide synthesis.

Nucleotide triphosphate

Nucleotides with three phosphate groups used in energy transfer.

Phosphorylation

The process of adding phosphate groups to a molecule.

Nucleic acid base pairing

The specific pairing of nitrogenous bases in DNA and RNA.

Hydrogen bond

Weak chemical bond that stabilizes base pairing.

Protein synthesis

The process of translating mRNA into a polypeptide chain.

Cell signaling

The process of communication between cells.

Apoptosis

Programmed cell death that is regulated by nucleotides.

DNA replication

The process of copying DNA prior to cell division.

RNA processing

Modifications made to RNA transcripts before translation.

Mutations

Changes in nucleotide sequences that can affect gene function.

Plasmids

Circular DNA molecules found in bacteria, used in genetic engineering.

Transcription

The process where DNA is copied to RNA.

Translation

The process whereby ribosomes synthesize proteins from mRNA.

Cellular respiration

The metabolic process that converts food into energy.

Biochemical pathways

Series of chemical reactions in a cell.

Molecular biology

The study of biology at a molecular level.