AICAR transformylase

Equation 1 is catalyzed by glycinamide ribotide (GAR) trans-formylase and Equation 2 is catalyzed by aminoimidazole-carboxamide ribotide (AICAR) transformylase. 

Fig. 14.1 Cellular pathway of methotrexate. ABCBl, ABCCl-4, ABC transporters ADA, adenosine deaminase ADP, adenosine diphosphate AICAR, aminoimidazole carboxamide ribonucleotide AMP, adenosine monophosphate ATIC, AICAR transformylase ATP, adenosine triphosphate SjlO-CH -THF, 5,10-methylene tetrahydrofolate 5-CHj-THF, 5-methyl tetrahydro-folate DHFR, dihydrofolate reductase dTMP, deoxythymidine monophosphate dUMP, deoxy-uridine monophosphate FAICAR, 10-formyl AICAR FH, dihydrofolate FPGS, folylpolyglutamyl synthase GGH, y-glutamyl hydrolase IMP, inosine monophosphate MTHFR, methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase MTR, methyl tetrahydrofolate reductase MTX-PG, methotrexate polyglutamate RFCl, reduced folate carrier 1 TYMS, thymidylate synthase. Italicized genes have been targets of pharmacogenetic analyses in studies published so far. (Reproduced from ref. 73 by permission of John Wiley and Sons Inc.)...

Methotrexate s principal mechanism of action at the low doses used in the rheumatic diseases probably relates to inhibition of aminoimidazolecarboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR) transformylase and thymidylate synthetase, with secondary effects on polymorphonuclear chemotaxis. There is some effect on dihydrofolate reductase and this affects lymphocyte and macrophage function, but this is not its principal mechanism of action. Methotrexate has direct inhibitory effects on proliferation and stimulates apoptosis in immune-inflammatory cells. Additionally, inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines linked to rheumatoid synovitis has been shown, leading to decreased inflammation seen with rheumatoid arthritis. 

SAICAR synthetase SAICAR lyase AICAR transformylase (jj) IMP synthase... 

A bifunctional enzyme, comprising the activities of AIR carboxylase and SAICAR synthetase, catalyzes reactions 6 and 7 of the purine pathway (AIR—> CAIR— SAICAR Fig. 15-16). A second bifunctional enzyme, IMP synthase, containing the activities of AICAR transformylase and IMP cyclohydrolase, catalyzes reactions 9 and 10 of the pathway (AICAR — FAICAR— IMP Fig. 15-16). Human IMP synthase has a subunit molecular weight of 62.1 kDa and associates as a dimer. A... 

Fig. 15-16 The de novo purine biosynthetic pathway. Rib-5-P, ribose 5-phosphate P-Rib-PP, 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate PRA, 5-phosphoribosylamine IO-CHO-FH4, /Vl0-formyl tetrahydrofolate GAR, glycineamide ribotide FGAR. /V-formylglycineamide ribotide FGAM, /V-formylglycineamidine ribotide AIR, 5-aminoimidazole ribotide CAIR, 4-carboxy-5-aminoimidazole ribotide SAICAR, iV-succino-5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribotide AICAR, 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribotide FAICAR, 5-formamidoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribotide sAMP, /V-succino-AMP. Enzymes (1) amido phosphoribosyltransferase (2) GAR synthetase (3) GAR transformylase (4) FGAM synthetase (5) AIR synthetase (6) AIR carboxylase (7) SAICAR synthetase (8) adenylosuecinase (9) AICAR transformylase (10) IMP cyclohydrolase (11) sAMP synthetase (12) adenylosuecinasc (13) IMP dehydrogenase (14) GMP synthetase.

MTX also has several effects on the purine synthetic pathway. MTXPGs inhibit the enzyme aminoimidazole carboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR) transformylase which in turn causes intracellular accumulation of AICAR. AICAR and its metabolites can then inhibit two enzymes in the adenosine pathway adenosine deaminase (ADA) and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) deaminase which leads to intracellular accumulation of adenosine and adenine nucleotides. Subsequent dephosphorylation of these nucleotides results in increased extracellular concentrations of adenosine which is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent [15],... 

AIR carboxylase A -CAIR mutase SAICAR synthetase (9) SAICAR lyase ) AICAR transformylase (Q IMP synthase... 

The possibility that the iV °-formyl derivative (III.163) might serve as a substrate for two important enzymes of the de novo purine pathway that utilize reduced folates as their natural substrates, namely 5-aminoimidazole-4-car-boxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR) transformylase and glycinamide ribonucleotide (GAR) transformylase, was examined [61]. While the affinity of (III. 163) (AT, (app) = 29/xM) for AICAR transformylase appeared to be greater than that of the natural substrate 10-formyltetrahydrofolate (A (app) = 68 /xM), the reaction was slow, resulting in a 750-fold lower Frei/Am(app) ratio for the quinazoline. The affinity of (III. 163) (/frn(app) = 1.9 /xM) for GAR transformylase was likewise several times greater than that of the natural substrate, in this case 5,10-methenyltetra-hydrofolate (/if,n(app) = 8.9/xM). However, (III. 163) was also used rather efficiently in the reaction by GAR transformylase, resulting in a 4-fold higher V.J Ai, (app) for the quinazoline than for 5,10-methenyltetrahydrofolate. The authors concluded from these results that the 5,10-methenyl structure is not needed for GAR transformylase activity. 

Human IMP synthase has a subunit molecular weight of 62.1 kDa and associates as a dimer. A trifunctional enzyme, Cj-THF synthase, containing (V °-methenyl tetrahydrofolate (5,10-CH-THF) cyclohydrolase and A °-formyl tetrahydrofolate (lO-CHO-THF) synthetase, catalyzes the reactions 5,10-CH2-THF 5,10-CH-THF and THF —> lO-CHO-THF. The A °-CH-THF produced is a substrate for GAR and AICAR transformylases catalyzing reactions 3 and 9 of the pathway. In higher eukaryotes, the dehydrogenase and cyclohydrolase activities are located in one domain of the protein, which is fused to a larger synthetase domain, forming a trifunctional enzyme. 

Fig. 3. The pathway of de novo purine ribonucleotide biosynthesis. The pathway includes the synthesis of PRPP, which is also used in the synthesis of pyrimidines, pyridine nucleotides, histidine, and tryptophan in plants. The enzymes catalyzing the numbered reactions are (1) PRPP synthetase, (2) PRPP amidotransferase, (3) GAR synthetase, (4) GAR transformylase, (5) FGAR amidotransferase, (6) AIR synthetase, (7) AIR carboxylase, (8) succino-AICAR synthetase, (9) adenylosuccinase, (10) AICAR transformylase, and (11) IMP cyclohydrolase.

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