Xanthine catabolism

In many legumes, transportation of N from root to shoot occurs in the form of ureids, allantoin, and allantoic acid, which are synthesized from uric acid, an oxidation product of purine (xanthine). Poor growth of legumes in the presence of Mo deficiency can be ascribed in part to poor upward transport of N because of disturbed xanthine catabolism. In plants, oxidation of xanthine is mediated by another molybdoenzyme, xanthine dehydrogenase (Mendel and Muller, 1976 Nguyen and Feierabend, 1978). This enzyme has a constitution similar to that of the xanthine oxidase found in animals. It has two identical subunits, and each unit contains one Mo atom, one FAD, and four Fe-S groups. 

Xanthine oxidase (XOD) is the key enzyme in purine catabolism. XOD catalyses the conversion ofhypoxan-thine to xanthine and of xanthine to uric acid, respectively. The uricostatic drug allopurinol and its major metabolite alloxanthine (oxypurinol) inhibit xanthine oxidase. 

Figure 34-8. Formation of uric acid from purine nucleosides byway of the purine bases hypoxanthine, xanthine, and guanine. Purine deoxyribonucleosides are degraded by the same catabolic pathwayand enzymes,all of which existin the mucosa of the mammalian gastrointestinal tract.

Xi H, BL Schneider, L Reitzer (2000) Purine catabolism in Escherichia coli and function of xanthine dehydrogenase in purine salvage J Bacterial 182 5332-5341. 

Mononuclear (pterin-bonded) I. Xanthine oxidase family Xanthine oxidase Purine or pyrinidine catabolism... 

The literature on xanthine oxidase [84] and its companion catabolic enzyme uricase [87] has been extensively reviewed. Many purine analogues, with the exception of most 9-substituted purines [262], serve as substrates for xanthine oxidase both in vitro and in vivo, and if the product is a substrate for uricase, in species that possess this enzyme, the ultimate product is allantoin (LVIII). Thus 2-aminoadenine [5], A -methyladenine [122], and purine [129] are all catabolized... 

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. 

The reason for the selective toxicity of 6-mercaptopuiine remains to be established, but two factors may be of primary importance. 6-Mercaptopurine is anabolized primarily, if not exclusively, to the monophosphate level, and it is readily catabolized by xanthine oxidase, an enzyme that is low in most cancer cells compared to normal cells. Another factor that must be considered is the metabolic state of the target cells. Actively proliferating leukaemia cells are more sensitive to 6-mercaptopurine, as they are to all antimetabolites, than cells in the so-called Gq or stationary phase. Although this does not explain the difference between 6-mercaptopurine and other purine analogues, it may explain the ineffectiveness of 6-mercaptopurine against solid tumours, most of the cells of which are in the non-dividing state. 

The bioavailability of azathioprine (80%) is superior to 6-MP (50%). After absorption azathioprine is rapidly converted by a nonenzymatic process to 6-MP. 6-Mercaptopurine subsequently undergoes a complex biotransformation via competing catabolic enzymes (xanthine oxidase and thiopurine methyltransferase) that produce inactive metabolites and anabolic pathways that produce active thioguanine nucleotides. Azathioprine and 6-MP have a serum half-life of less than 2 hours however, the... 

Allopurinol markedly reduces xanthine oxide catabolism of the purine analogs, potentially increasing active 6-thioguanine nucleotides that may lead to severe leukopenia. The dose of 6-MP or azathioprine should be reduced by at least half in patients taking allopurinol. 

In man, BH4 is degraded either nonenzymatically by side-chain cleavage to pterin or is enzymatically metabolized in the gastrointestinal tract to become a lumazine [2]. Pterin and dihydropterin are converted by xanthine dehydrogenase to isoxanthopterin and xanthopterin, respectively [3,4]. It is assumed, however, that most of the ingested BH4 is used as a cofactor (mainly for PAH in the liver) and is catabolized to nonfluorescing compounds it may even be degraded to C02 and ammonia. 

Rembold H (1983) Pteridine catabolism. In Curtius HC, Pfleidere W, Wachter H (eds) Biochemical and Clinical Aspects of Pteridines. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, pp 107-122 Blau N, de Klerk JBC, Thony B, Heizmann CW, Kierat L, Smeitink JAM, Duran M (1996) Tetrahydrobiopterin loading test in xanthine dehydrogenase and molybdenum cofactor deficiencies. Biochem Mol Med 58 199-203... 

GMP catabolism also yields uric acid as end product. GMP is first hydrolyzed to guanosine, which is then cleaved to free guanine. Guanine undergoes hydrolytic removal of its amino group to yield xanthine, which is converted to uric acid by xanthine oxidase (Fig. 22-45). 

Figure 25-18 Pathways of catabolism of purine nucleotides, nucleosides, and free bases. Spiders excrete xanthine while mammals and birds excrete uric acid. Spiders and birds convert all of their excess nitrogen via the de novo pathway of Fig. 25-15 into purines. Many animals excrete allantoin, urea, or NH4+. Some legumes utilize the pathway marked by green arrows in their nitrogen transport via ureides.

As indicated in Fig. 25-18, free adenine released from catabolism of nucleic acids can be deaminated hydrolytically to hypoxanthine, and guanine can be deaminated to xanthine.328 The molybdenum-containing xanthine oxidase (Chapter 16) oxidizes hypoxanthine to xanthine and the latter on to uric acid. Some Clostridia convert purine or hypoxanthine to xanthine by the action of a selenium-containing purine hydroxylase.3283 Another reaction of xanthine occurring in some plants is conversion to the trimethylated derivative caffeine. 328b One of the physiological effects of caffeine in animals is inhibition of pyrimidine synthesis.329 However, the effect most sought by coffee drinkers may be an increase in blood pressure caused by occupancy of adenosine receptors by caffeine.330... 

Inosine formed by either route is then phosphorolyzed to yield hypoxanthine. Although, as we have previously seen, much of the hypoxanthine and guanine produced in the mammalian body is converted to IMP and GMP by a phosphoribosyltransferase, about 10% is catabolized. Xanthine oxidase, an enzyme present in large amounts in liver and intestinal mucosa and in traces in other tissues, oxidizes hypoxanthine to xanthine, and xanthine to uric acid (see fig. 23.20). Xanthine oxidase contains FAD, molybdenum, iron, and acid-labile sulfur in the ratio 1 1 4 4, and in addition to forming hydrogen peroxide, it is also a strong producer of the superoxide anion 02, a very reactive species. The enzyme oxidizes a wide variety of purines, aldehydes, and pteridines. 

Figure 2.3(D). Uricogenesis during alanine catabolism and gluconeogenesis in avian liver. Some abbreviations are as in figure 2.3(C). 1 C refers to one-carbon units MDH, malate dehydrogenase XDH, xanthine dehydrogenase PRPP, phosphoribosylpyrophosphate IMP, inosoine monophosphate ino, inosine hyp, hypoxanthine xan, xanthine.

The enzymes are widely distributed in microorganisms, plants, and animals. " Three Mo-MPT enzymes have been found in mammals (1) xanthine dehydrogenase see Dehydrogenase) has many, varied roles in purine catabolism, drug metabolism, and oxidative stress response, (2) aldehyde oxidase is important in drug metabolism and the synthesis of retinoic acid from retinal, and (3) sulfite oxidase plays a cmcial role in the detoxification of sulfite produced in the degradation of cysteine and methionine. Genetic Mo-MPT deficiency in... 

The xanthine oxidoreductases are large, complex molybdo-flavoproteins with roles in the catabolism of purines, for example, oxidizing hypoxanthine to xanthine and xanthine to uric acid (equation 9). Xanthine oxidase can also catalyze the reduction of nitrate to nitrite (or in the presence superoxide, peroxynitrite) and the reduction of nitrite to nitric oxide. Peroxynitrite, a powerfiil and destructive oxidant, has been implicated in diseases such as arthritis, atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer s and Parkinson s diseases. The microbicidal role of milk and intestinal xanthine oxidase may also involve the generation of peroxynitrite in the gut. The high levels of the enzyme in the mammary glands of pregnant... 

Figure 25.17. Purine Catabolism. Purine bases are converted first into xanthine and then into urate for excretion. Xanthine oxidase catalyzes two steps in this process.

Most of the free purines derived from the breakdown of DNA, RNA, and nucleotides in the diet are catabolized to xanthine and then to uric acid in the gut mucosa. The AMP and GMP biosynthesized in the body can also be bmken down to free purines, such as adenine, guanine, and hypoxanthine. These purines, in contrast to those derived frcim the diet, are largely reused for the synthesis of ATP and GTP- They are first converted back to AMP or GMP in a pathway of reutiliza-lion called the purine salvage pathway. For example, adenine phosphoribosyl-transferase (PRPP) catalyzes the conversion of adenine to AMP. Here, PRPP serves as the source of the phosphoribose group. Pyrophosphate is a product of the reaction. 

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