Metabolism of pyrimidine deoxyribonucleosides in Neurospora crassa. 1975

P M Shaffer, and C A Hsu, and M T Abbott

The experiments in this report involve the following series of reactions which were previously demonstrated with purified enzyme preparations from Neurospora crassa: thymidine a yields thymine ribonucleoside b yields thymine c yields 5-hydroxymethyluracil d yields 5-formyluracil e yields uracil-5-carboxylic acid f yields uracil. The evidence for some of the reactions occurring in vivo has been incomplete and for others totally lacking. In this paper intact cells of Neurospora are shown to be capable of converting the substrates of each of the reactions to the corresponding products. Studies are described which were carried out in vivo and in vitro with the pyrimidineless strains pyr-4,uc-1,uc-2 and pyr-4,uc-1,uc-3, developed by Williams and Mitchell. The results reported in the present paper indicate that (reaction a) and the uc-3 mutation affects thymine 7-hydroxylase (reactions c,d, and e). Evidence is presented for the 2'-hydroxylase reaction being the major, if not only, way by which Neurospora can initiate the conversion of thymidine to the pyrimidines of nucleic acids and for the 2'-hydroxylation of thymidine and deoxyuridine being catalyzed by the same enzyme. Deoxycytidine was shown not to be hydroxylated in intact cells but instead deaminated to deoxyuridine, which in turn was converted to uridine. Further studies with the uc-3-carrying strain showed that an enzyme other than thymine 7-hydroxylase can also convert 5-formyluracil to uracil-5-carboxylic acid.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008956 Models, Chemical Theoretical representations that simulate the behavior or activity of chemical processes or phenomena; includes the use of mathematical equations, computers, and other electronic equipment. Chemical Models,Chemical Model,Model, Chemical
D009154 Mutation Any detectable and heritable change in the genetic material that causes a change in the GENOTYPE and which is transmitted to daughter cells and to succeeding generations. Mutations
D009491 Neurospora A genus of ascomycetous fungi, family Sordariaceae, order SORDARIALES, comprising bread molds. They are capable of converting tryptophan to nicotinic acid and are used extensively in genetic and enzyme research. (Dorland, 27th ed) Neurosporas
D009492 Neurospora crassa A species of ascomycetous fungi of the family Sordariaceae, order SORDARIALES, much used in biochemical, genetic, and physiologic studies. Chrysonilia crassa
D011743 Pyrimidines A family of 6-membered heterocyclic compounds occurring in nature in a wide variety of forms. They include several nucleic acid constituents (CYTOSINE; THYMINE; and URACIL) and form the basic structure of the barbiturates.
D002250 Carbon Radioisotopes Unstable isotopes of carbon that decay or disintegrate emitting radiation. C atoms with atomic weights 10, 11, and 14-16 are radioactive carbon isotopes. Radioisotopes, Carbon
D002474 Cell-Free System A fractionated cell extract that maintains a biological function. A subcellular fraction isolated by ultracentrifugation or other separation techniques must first be isolated so that a process can be studied free from all of the complex side reactions that occur in a cell. The cell-free system is therefore widely used in cell biology. (From Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 2d ed, p166) Cellfree System,Cell Free System,Cell-Free Systems,Cellfree Systems,System, Cell-Free,System, Cellfree,Systems, Cell-Free,Systems, Cellfree
D002854 Chromatography, Paper An analytical technique for resolution of a chemical mixture into its component compounds. Compounds are separated on an adsorbent paper (stationary phase) by their varied degree of solubility/mobility in the eluting solvent (mobile phase). Paper Chromatography,Chromatographies, Paper,Paper Chromatographies
D003841 Deoxycytidine A nucleoside component of DNA composed of CYTOSINE and DEOXYRIBOSE. Cytosine Deoxyribonucleoside,Cytosine Deoxyriboside,Deoxyribonucleoside, Cytosine,Deoxyriboside, Cytosine
D003853 Deoxyribonucleosides A purine or pyrimidine base bonded to DEOXYRIBOSE.

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