The document summarizes the de novo synthesis of pyrimidine nucleotides in three steps. First, carbamoyl phosphate and aspartate condense to form carbamoyl aspartate. Second, the pyrimidine ring forms and is further modified through a series of reactions to eventually form orotidine monophosphate. Third, OMP undergoes reactions to form the pyrimidine nucleotides UMP, UDP, UTP, CTP, and through additional steps, dUMP and dTMP. Key enzymes involved include carbamoyl phosphate synthetase, aspartate transcarbamoylase, and OMP decarboxylase. Feedback inhibition regulates the process.
3. The pyrimidine ring is synthesized as free
pyrimidine & it is incorporated into the
nucleotide.
Aspartate, glutamine (amide group) & CO2
contribute to atoms in the formation of
pyrimidine ring.
4. The reaction occurs in cytoplasm.
Glutamine transfers its amido nitrogen to
CO2 to produce carbamoyl phosphate.
This reaction is catalyzed by ATP dependent
enzyme carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II
(CPS II).
CPS-I is involved in urea cycle.
5. Carbamoyl phosphate condenses with
aspartate to form carbamoyl aspartate.
This reaction is catalysed by aspartate
transcarbamoylase.
The atoms C2 & N3 are derived from
carbamoyl phosphate & the rest are from
aspartate.
6. Dihydroorotase catalyses the pyrimidine
ring closure with a loss of H2O.
Step 4: Oxidation
NAD+ dependent dehydrogenation, leading
to the formation of orotate.
The enzyme is dihydro orotate
dehydrogenase (DHODH).
7. Ribose 5-phosphate is now added to orotate
to produce orotidine monophosphate (OMP).
This reaction is catalysed by orotate
phosphoribosyltransferase.
PRPP is the donor of ribose 5-phosphate.
8. OMP undergoes decarboxylation to uridine
mono-phosphate (UMP).
The enzyme is OMP decarboxylase (OMPDC).
This is the first pyrimidine that is synthesized.
6-aza-uridine inhibits this step & used as an
anticancer drug.
9. Orotate phosphoribosyl transferase & OMP
decarboxylase are domains of a single
protein.
A defect in this bifunctional enzyme causes
orotic aciduria.
10. By an ATP-dependent UMP kinase reaction,
UMP is converted to UDP which serves as a
precursor for the synthesis of dUMP, dTMP,
UTP & CTP.
UDP is phosphorylated to UTP (uridine
triphosphate) with the help of ATP.
The enzyme is nucleoside diphosphate kinase.
11. Ribonucleotide reductase converts UDP to
dUDP by a thioredoxin-dependent reaction.
Thymidylate synthetase catalyses the
transfer of a methyl group from N5, N10 -
methylene tetrahydrofolate to produce
deoxythymidine monophosphate (dTMP).
12. Cytidine triphosphate (CTP) is synthesized
from UTP by amination.
CTP synthetase is the enzyme & glutamine
provides the nitrogen.
CTP synthetase needs ATP.
16. In bacteria, aspartate transcarbamoylase
(ATCase) catalyses a committed step in
pyrimidine biosynthesis.
ATCase is a good example of an enzyme
controlled by feedback mechanism by the
end product CTP.
17. Carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II (CPS II) is
the regulatory enzyme of pyrimidine
synthesis in animals.
It is activated by PRPP and ATP & inhibited
by UDP & UTP.
OMP decarboxylase, inhibited by UMP &
CMP, also controls pyrimidine formation.
18. Textbook of Biochemistry-U Satyanarayana
Textbook of Biochemistry-DM Vasudevan