Exam 1 Flashcards
(195 cards)
what are the 3 parts that make up folate?
- pteridine ring (site of redox)
- PABA (used to make sulfa antibiotics)
- poly glutamate tail (cleaved to n=1 in brush border)
list 3 conditions than can inhibit folate absorption
- crohn’s disease
- alcohol abuse
- celiac disease
what is most of the folate in the body made from?
folate is the reduced form of tetrahydrofolate (FH4)
what is the most oxidized form of FH4? most reduced form?
Oxidized: N^10-formyl-FH4
Reduced: N^5-methyl-FH4 (its hard to return to the oxidized state which is used for more reactions)
what substrate is the major source of the one carbon pool?
serine (which can be made form glycolysis intermediates)
how does FH4 relate to cell division?
it’s essential for purine synthesis which is needed for cell division.
name 3 drugs that interfere with folate enzymes and what they do (in general).
- fluorouracil - (cancer drug) prevents conversion of dUMP to dTMP
- methotrexate - (cancer drug) prevents conversion of FH2 to FH4
- trimethoprim - (antimicrobial) inhibits dihydrofolate reductase (same as methotrexate?)
what is the main dietary source of folate? B12?
folate - leafy greens
B12 - animal products
what two major reactions require vitamin B12?
- homocysteine to methionine (requires B12 AND folate)
2. methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA (just B12)
what atom is found in the center of a vitamin B12 molecule
cobalt
what causes pernicious anemia?
a deficiency in intrinsic factor (which binds B12)
what is intrinsic factor used for?
it binds B12 and then binds receptors in the small intestine for absorption
what is the schilling test used for? what are the steps
to test if a patient has pernicious anemia
- two doses of B12, on labeled, one not then collect urine
- dose of labeled B12 with intrinsic factor
- two weeks of antibiotics then test levels again
- take pancreatic enzymes for several days then labeled B12
(if one test is abnormal then move on to the next)
what 2 molecules are used to make S-adenosylmethionine (SAM)?
- methionine (B12 used to make this)
2. ATP
what does SAM do?
it adds a methyl group to nitrogen or oxygen atoms in many different reactions.
it becomes SAH after it does so.
what is the methyl trap hypothesis?
when folate gets trapped in the reduced n^5-methyl-FH4 form which isn’t as useful as the oxidized form
what are some potential causes of hyperhomocysteinemia?
problems with B12, folic acid or PLP (therefore high levels of homocysteine can be indicators of a deficiency in one of these)
list 2 reasons why a folate deficiency is especially bad for pregnant women
- it can lead to neural tube defects in the developing fetus
- a folate deficiency can lead to inhibition of DNA synthesis
what is megaloblastic anemia? what causes it?
enlargement of RBCs due to a decrease in synthesis of thymine and purine bases (folate needed) which leads to decreased DNA synthesis. the large RBCs don’t’ function properly leading to anemia
caused by a deficiency of folate and/or B12
how many enzymes are needed for make IMP from ribose 5-phosphate? how many ATP are used?
11 enzymes
6 ATP
what 2 molecules is IMP used to synthesize? what molecules are the nitrogen donors to their respective purine ring?
- AMP - aspartate is nitrogen donor
2. GMP - glutamine is nitrogen donor
what 5 molecules are used to make purine? what does each contribute?
- formate - 2 carbons
- amide N from glutamine - 2 nitrogens
- aspertate - 1 nitrogen
- CO2 - 1 carbon
- glycine - 2 carbons, 1 nitrogen (whole molecule)
what regulates the production of the purines AMP and GMP? what other purine biosynthesis enzymes are regulated and by what?
AMP and GMP inhibit their own synthesis
- PRPP synthetase - inhibited by (G/A)DP
- glutamine phosphoribosyl aminotransferase - inhibited by (G/A)MP through (G/A)TP
what types of molecules can be salvaged for purines?
free bases, nucleosides and nucleotides