Carbamoyl phosphate synthetase ammonia-dependent

The activity of mitochondrial carbamoyl phosphate synthetase (CPS) depends on the availability of N-acetylglutamate, which is generated from glutamate and acetyl CoA. A reduction in the availability of the activating molecule will lead to a decrease in the activity of CPS, which utilizes ammonia and bicarbonate for the synthesis of carbamoyl phosphate. This, in turn, leads to an increase in the level of ammonia in blood and urine. Over two-thirds of patients with methylmalonic aciduria are hyperammonemic. 

The liver also receives some ammonia via the portal vein from the intestine, from the bacterial oxidation of amino acids. Whatever its source, the Nib generated in liver mitochondria is immediately used, together with C02 (as HCO3) produced by mitochondrial respiration, to form carbamoyl phosphate in the matrix (Fig. 18-1 la see also Fig. 18-10). This ATP-dependent reaction is catalyzed by carbamoyl phosphate synthetase I, a regulatory enzyme (see below). The mitochondrial form of the enzyme is distinct from the cytosolic (II) form, which has a separate function in pyrimidine biosynthesis (Chapter 22). 

Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, the enzyme catalyzing the dehydrogenation of dihydroorotate to orotate (reaction 4 of the pathway Fig. 15-15), is located on the outer side of the inner mitochondrial membrane. This enzyme has FAD as a prosthetic group and in mammals electrons are passed to ubiquinone. The de novo pyrimidine pathway is thus compartmentalized dihydroorotate synthesized by trifunctional DHO synthetase in the cytosol must pass across the outer mitochondrial membrane to be oxidized to orotate, which in turn passes back to the cytosol to be a substrate for bifunctional UMP synthase. Mammalian cells contain two carbamoyl phosphate synthetases the glutamine-dependent enzyme (CPSase II) which is part of CAD, and an ammonia-dependent enzyme (CPSase /) which is found in the mitochondrial matrix, and which is used for urea and arginine biosynthesis. Under certain conditions (e.g., hyperammonemia), carbamoyl phosphate synthesized in the matrix by CPSase I may enter pyrimidine biosynthesis in the cytosol. 

The first step in de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis is the synthesis of carbamoyl phosphate from bicarbonate and ammonia in a multistep process, requiring the cleavage of two molecules of ATP. This reaction is catalyzed by carbamoyl phosphate synthetase (CPS) (Section 23.4.1). Analysis of the structure of CPS reveals two homologous domains, each of which catalyzes an ATP-dependent step (Figure 25.3). 

Mammalian cells contain two carbamoyl phosphate synthetases the glutamine-dependent enzyme (CPSase II) which is part of CAD and an ammonia-dependent enzyme (CPSase /) which is localized in the mitochondrial matrix and which is used in urea and arginine biosynthesis. Under certain conditions (e.g., hyperammonemia), carbamoyl phosphate synthesized in the matrix by CPSase I may enter pyrimidine biosynthesis in the cytoplasm. 

Some enzymes have an obligatory requirement for a particular activator, i.e. they have no measurable activity if the activator is absent. In such cases, the activators effectively change the max of enzyme rather than the substrate dependence. An example of such an enzyme is carbamoyl phosphate synthetase which is involved in the conversion of ammonia to urea (page 283). This enzyme is completely inactive in the absence of N-acetylglutamate, which increases the activity at all substrate concentrations. 

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