Glutamine Amidophosphoribosyltransferase, also known as GPAT, is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of nucleotides. The spelling of this complex term can be explained through its IPA phonetic transcription, which has three syllables: ɡluːtəmiːn əmɪdəʊfɒsfərɪbəsɪltrænsfɜːreɪs. The word is divided into two parts: glutamine and amidophosphoribosyltransferase. "Glutamine" refers to an amino acid, while "amidophosphoribosyltransferase" indicates the enzyme's function in chemical reactions that involve the transfer of a group called ribosyl. Despite its challenging spelling, this complex term is crucial in understanding the mechanics of nucleotide synthesis in biological pathways.
Glutamine amidophosphoribosyltransferase, also known as GPAT or amidotransferase, is an essential enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of purine nucleotides in living organisms. It is a key component of the de novo pathway for purine synthesis found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
The function of glutamine amidophosphoribosyltransferase is to catalyze the transfer of the amido group from glutamine to 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP), forming 5-phosphoribosylamine (PRA). This reaction is the first committed step in the de novo purine biosynthesis pathway and is crucial for the production of AMP and GMP, which are vital building blocks for DNA and RNA synthesis.
The enzyme glutamine amidophosphoribosyltransferase is highly conserved across different species, indicating its fundamental importance in cellular metabolism. It requires the presence of divalent metal ions, such as magnesium or manganese, for its catalytic activity. In addition, it exhibits regulatory properties, where feedback inhibition by the end-products AMP, GMP, and IMP plays a role in maintaining purine homeostasis within the cell.
Deficiency or malfunction of glutamine amidophosphoribosyltransferase can lead to various disorders in humans, such as immunodeficiency syndromes and metabolic diseases. Hence, this enzyme represents an important target for drug development, as its inhibition could potentially be exploited for therapeutic purposes in diseases associated with excessive purine synthesis or abnormal purine metabolism.
The word "Glutamine Amidophosphoribosyltransferase" is a scientific term that describes an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of purine nucleotides. Its etymology can be broken down as follows:
1. Glutamine: Derived from the Greek word "glouton" meaning "glutton". It refers to an amino acid that is an essential building block of proteins.
2. Amidophosphoribosyl: A combination of the words "amido" (indicating the presence of an amide group) and "phosphoribosyl" (referring to a molecule that contains a ribose sugar and a phosphate group). This term indicates that the enzyme transfers the amido group from glutamine to phosphoribose.
3. Transferase: Derived from the Latin term "transferre", meaning "to carry across".