Pyrimidine ribotides

The pathways for thiamine biosynthesis have been elucidated only partiy. Thiamine pyrophosphate is made universally from the precursors 4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-2-methylpytimidinepyrophosphate [841-01-0] (47) and 4-methyl-5-(2-hydroxyethyl)thiazolephosphate [3269-79-2] (48), but there appear to be different pathways ia the eadier steps. In bacteria, the early steps of the pyrimidine biosynthesis are same as those of purine nucleotide biosynthesis, 5-Aminoimidazole ribotide [41535-66-4] (AIR) (49) appears to be the sole and last common iatermediate ultimately the elements are suppHed by glycine, formate, and ribose. AIR is rearranged in a complex manner to the pyrimidine by an as-yet undetermined mechanism. In yeasts, the pathway to the pyrimidine is less well understood and maybe different (74—83) (Fig. 9). 

The pyrimidine portion of thiamin (Fig. 25-21) is distinct in structure from the pyrimidines of nucleic acids. In bacteria it originates from the purine precursor 5-aminoimidazole ribotide, which is converted into a hydroxymethylpyrimidine (Fig. 25-21 )373 which is... 

Although there are a number of inefficient steps in most proposed prebiotic syntheses of ribotides, the major objection to RNA as the primogenitor of life has been the relatively small yield of ribose in the formose reaction, a simple condensation of glycoaldehyde. Muller et a/.,18 however, have discovered a variation of the formose reaction that produces a limited mix of pentose diphosphates in which the ribose forms predominate (52 14 23 11, ribose arabinose lyxose xylose). Although many critical chemical roadblocks remain (such as the extremely low yield of pyrimidine nucleosides following the condensation of ribose and free bases), this advance belies the previously held view that products of the formose reaction are necessarily so chemically diverse that they are the carbohydrate analog of petroleum. 19... 

In bacteria, the pyrimidine precursor 38 is derived from 5-aminoimidazole ribotide (37), an intermediate of the basic branch of purine biosynthesis, which supplies all carbon atoms for 38 by a complex rearrangement reaction (the fate of the individual carbon atoms is indicated by Greek letters in Fig. 4). In yeasts, a totally unrelated reaction sequence uses carbon atoms from vitamin Be (39) that are indicated by roman letters in Fig. 4 for the assembly of the thiamine precursor 38,... 

Figure 4 Biosynthesis of thiamine (vitamin ). 37, aminoimidazole ribotide 38, 2-methyl-4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-pyrimidine phosphate 39, pyridoxal 5 -phosphate 40, histidine 41, 2-methyl-4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-pyrimidine pyrophosphate 42, 4-methyl-5-p-hydroxyethylthiazole phosphate 43,1 -deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate 44, 5-ADP-D-ribulose 45, thiamine phosphate 46, thiamine pyrophosphate.

The biosynthetic pathway is outlined in Figure 1. The thiazole 4 is formed by an oxidative condensation of glycine (1), deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate (DXP, 2), and a sulfide carrier protein with a thiocarboxylate at its carboxy terminus (ThiS-COSH, 3). The pyrimidine phosphate 8 is formed by a deep-seated rearrangement of aminoimidazole ribotide (AIR, 7). It is then pyrophosphorylated and used to alkylate the thiazole to give 10. A final phosphorylation completes the biosynthesis. The entire pathway from glycine, DXP, cysteine, AIR, and ATP has now been reconstituted using purified enzymes. 

The pyrimidine moiety of thiamin is formed by a remarkable rearrangement of aminoimidazole ribotide (AIR)... 

As indicated above, derivatives of folic acid play a key role in the biosynthesis of purines and pyrimidines. These pteridines are the coenzymes responsible for inserting the carbon atoms into both positions 2 and 8 of purines, and they also insert the methyl-group into thymine (4.7 ). When bacteria are treated with low concentrations of sulfonamides, 4-aminoimidazole-5-carboxamide ribotide 9.22) accumulates in the culture media. This substance is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of inosinic acid 9.23) from which all purines are derived. 

Fig. 4. Biosynthesis of 2-methyi-4-amino-S-hydro-xymethyl-pyrimidine from aminoimidazoie ribotide

Ribose phosphates phosphorylated derivatives of ribose. Ribose is phosphorylated in position 5 by the action of ribokinase (EC 2.7.1.15) and ATP ribose 5-phosphate is also produced in the Pentose phosphate cycle (see), and in the Calvin c cle (see) of photosynthesis. Phosphoribomutase cat yses the interconversion of ribose 5-phospbate and ribose 1-phosphate, and the cosubstrate of this reaction is ribose l,5-f>isphosphate. 5-Phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophos-phate donates a ribose 5-phosphate moiety in the de novo biosynthesis of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides (see Purine biosynthesis. Pyrimidine biosynthesis), in the Salvage pathway (see) of purine and pyrimidine utilization, in the biosynthesis of L-Histi-dine (see) and L-Tryptophan (see) and in the conversion of nicotinic acid into nicotinic acid ribotide (see Pyridine nucleotide cycle). Ribose 1-phosphate can also take part in nucleotide synthesis (see Salvage pathway). 

PURINE AND PYRIMIDINE BIOSYNTHESIS IN NEUROSPORA CRASSA AND HUMAN SKIN PIBROBIASTS.ALTERATION BY RIBOSIDES AND RIBOTIDES OP ALIOPURINOL AND OXIPURINOL... 

The carbamyl phosphate is condensed with a molecule of aspartate giving ureidosuccinic acid, from which orotic acid is formed by cyclization and oxidation. In the presence of PRPP and a pyrophosphorylase this acid forms a ribotide and decarboxylation yields uridine monophosphate. The decarboxylation of the product of amination of orotidine phosphate gives cytidine monophosphate (Fig. 75). It can be seen that the pentose intermediate in pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis is PRPP, the same as for purine nucleotide biosynthesis. 

Purine and Pyrimidine Biosynthesis in Neurospora Crassa and Human Skin Fibroblasts. Alteration by Ribosides and Ribotides of... 

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