Adenosine degradation

Nicotinamide is incorporated into NAD and nicotinamide is the primary ckculating form of the vitamin. NAD has two degradative routes by pyrophosphatase to form AMP and nicotinamide mononucleotide and by hydrolysis to yield nicotinamide adenosine diphosphate ribose. 

Figure 29.1 An overview of catabolic pathways for the degradation of food and the production of biochemical energy. The ultimate products of food catabolism are C02 and H2O, with the energy released in the citric acid cycle used to drive the endergonic synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from adenosine diphosphate (ADP) plus phosphate ion, HOPO32-.

A short-acting platelet inhibitor called dipyridamole functions by maintaining a high level of cAMP within the platelets by inhibiting the enzyme phosphodiesterase, which would otherwise degrade cAMP. It also raises the adenosine concentration in plasma by decreasing its cellular uptake and degradation (70). 

Another early genetic disease for correction by gene therapy was SCID. One form of this disease is caused by a lack of adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity. ADA is an enzyme that plays a central role in the degradation of purine nucleosides (it catalyses the removal of ammonia from adenosine, forming inosine, which, in turn, is usually eventually converted to uric acid). This leads to T- and B-lymphocyte dysfunction. Lack of an effective immune system means that SCID sufferers must be kept in an essentially sterile environment. 

Adenosine is not a classical neurotransmitter because it is not stored in neuronal synaptic granules or released in quanta. It is generally thought of as a neuromodulator that gains access to the extracellular space in part from the breakdown of extracellular adenine nucleotides and in part by translocation from the cytoplasm of cells by nucleoside transport proteins, particularly in stressed or ischemic tissues (Fig. 17-2C). Extracellular adenosine is rapidly removed in part by reuptake into cells and conversion to AMP by adenosine kinase and in part by degradation to inosine by adenosine deaminases. Adenosine deaminase is mainly cytosolic but it also occurs as a cell surface ectoenzyme. 

Adenosine and inosine can be transported across cell membranes in either direction, facilitated by a membrane-associated nucleoside transport protein. Concentrative transporters have also been identified. Messenger RNA for a pyrimidine-selective Na+-nucleoside cotransporter (rCNTl) and a purine-selective Na+-nucleoside cotransporter (rCNT2) are found throughout the rat brain. Most degradation of adenosine is intracellular, as evidenced by the fact that inhibitors of adenosine transport, such as dipyridamole, increase interstitial levels of adenosine. Dipyridamole is used clinically to elevate adenosine in coronary arteries and produce coronary vasodilation. In high doses, dipyridamole can accentuate adenosine-receptor-mediated actions in the CNS, resulting in sedation and sleep, anticonvulsant effects, decreased locomotor activity and decreased neuronal activity. 

KieBling, P., Scrlba, G. K. E., SiiB, E, Werner, G., Knoth, H., and Hartmann, M. (2004). Development and validation of a high-performance liquid chromatography assay and a capillary electrophoresis assay for the analysis of adenosine and the degradation product adenine in infusions.. Pharm. Biomed. Anal. 36(3), 535—539. 

The purine and pyrimidine bases can be converted to then-respective nncleotides by reaction with 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate. Since these bases are not very soluble, they are not transported in the blood, so that the reactions are only of qnantitative significance in the intestine, where the bases are produced by degradation of nucleotides. In contrast, in some cells, nucleosides are converted back to nucleotides by the activity of kinase enzymes. In particular, adenosine is converted to AMP, by the action of adenosine kinase, and uridine is converted to UMP by a uridine kinase... 

Severe combined immunodeficiency disease The enzyme adenosine deaminase degrades deoxyadenosine which is produced during DNA degradation (Chapter 10). Deficiency of the enzyme results in accumulation of deoxyadenosine which is a substrate for adenosine kinase and leads to production of deoxyadenosine and deoxyquanosine triphosphates, which reach high concentrations. This disturbs the balance of deoxy nucleotides which results in failure of DNA replication. This enzyme is normally present in lymphocytes so that a deficiency prevents proliferation of the lymphocytes, which is essential in combatting an infection. Consequently, patients are very susceptible to infections. This is one disease that is effectively treated by gene therapy. 

Azaguanine and thioguanine are catabolized by guanase, and both the purinethiones are degraded by xanthine oxidase. Methylation and demethylation is an important factor in the activity of the thiopurihes and certain adenine or adenosine analogues also. 

Nucleic acid degradation in humans and many other animals leads to production of uric acid, which is then excreted. The process initially involves purine nucleotides, adenosine and guanosine, which are combinations of adenine or guanine with ribose (see Section 14.1). The purine bases are subsequently modified as shown. 

In the most important degradative pathway for adenosine monophosphate (AMP), it is the nucleotide that deaminated, and inosine monophosphate (IMP) arises. In the same way as in GMP, the purine base hypoxanthine is released from IMP. A single enzyme, xanthine oxidase [3], then both converts hypoxanthine into xanthine and xanthine into uric acid. An 0X0 group is introduced into the substrate in each of these reaction steps. The oxo group is derived from molecular oxygen another reaction product is hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which is toxic and has to be removed by peroxidases. 

Metabolism. The nucleotide cAMP (adenosine 3, 5 -cyclic monophosphate) is synthesized by membrane-bound adenylate cyclases [1] on the inside of the plasma membrane. The adenylate cyclases are a family of enzymes that cyclize ATP to cAMP by cleaving diphosphate (PPi). The degradation of cAMP to AMP is catalyzed by phosphodiesterases [2], which are inhibited by methylxanthines such as caffeine, for example. By contrast, insulin activates the esterase and thereby reduces the cAMP level (see p. 388). 

Hershko, A. and Tomkins, G.M. (1971). Studies on the degradation of tyrosine aminotransferase in hepatoma cells in culture. Influence of the composition of the medium and adenosine triphosphate dependence. J. Biol. Chem. 246, 710-714. 

Figure 8-1. Hormonal regulation of fat metabolism. A Control of fatty acid synthesis by reversible phosphorylation of acetyl CoA carboxylase. B Regulation of tri-acylglycerol degradation by reversible phosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase. cAMP, cyclic adenosine monophosphate HS, hormone-sensitive.

One form of SOD is caused by inherited insufficiency of adenosine deaminase leading to accumulation of its substrate, deoxyadenosine, which is derived from DNA degradation and is converted to dATP, an allosteric inhibitor of ribonucleotide reductase. 

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