Publications

• Functional analysis of pyrimidine biosynthesis enzymes using the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil in Caenorhabditis elegans.

  Kim S., Park D.H., Kim T.H., Hwang M., Shim J.

  Pyrimidine biosynthesis enzymes function in many cellular processes and are closely associated with pyrimidine antagonists used in cancer chemotherapy. These enzymes are well characterized from bacteria to mammals, but not in a simple metazoan. To study the pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway in Caeno ... >> More

  Pyrimidine biosynthesis enzymes function in many cellular processes and are closely associated with pyrimidine antagonists used in cancer chemotherapy. These enzymes are well characterized from bacteria to mammals, but not in a simple metazoan. To study the pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans, we screened for mutants exhibiting resistance to the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). In several strains, mutations were identified in ZK783.2, the worm homolog of human uridine phosphorylase (UP). UP is a member of the pyrimidine biosynthesis family of enzymes and is a key regulator of uridine homeostasis. C. elegans UP homologous protein (UPP-1) exhibited both uridine and thymidine phosphorylase activity in vitro. Knockdown of other pyrimidine biosynthesis enzyme homologs, such as uridine monophosphate kinase and uridine monophosphate synthetase, also resulted in 5-FU resistance. Uridine monophosphate kinase and uridine monophosphate synthetase proteins are redundant, and show different, tissue-specific expression patterns in C. elegans. Whereas pyrimidine biosynthesis pathways are highly conserved between worms and humans, no human thymidine phosphorylase homolog has been identified in C. elegans. UPP-1 functions as a key regulator of the pyrimidine salvage pathway in C. elegans, as mutation of upp-1 results in strong 5-FU resistance. << Less

  FEBS J. 276:4715-4726(2009) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 2 other entries.

• Structure of product-bound Bacillus caldolyticus uracil phosphoribosyltransferase confirms ordered sequential substrate binding.

  Kadziola A., Neuhard J., Larsen S.

  Uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRTase) is part of the salvage pathway that leads to the biosynthesis of UMP. It catalyzes the formation of UMP and pyrophosphate from uracil and alpha-D-5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate. Unlike enzymes in the de novo synthesis of UMP, UPRTases have only been fou ... >> More

  Uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRTase) is part of the salvage pathway that leads to the biosynthesis of UMP. It catalyzes the formation of UMP and pyrophosphate from uracil and alpha-D-5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate. Unlike enzymes in the de novo synthesis of UMP, UPRTases have only been found in lower organisms and are therefore potential targets for the development of new antibiotics. UPRTase from Bacillus caldolyticus has been crystallized and the structure has been determined by isomorphous replacement and refined to 3.0 A resolution. UPRTase from B. caldolyticus forms a dimer with the active sites pointing away from each other. A long arm from each subunit wraps around the other subunit, contributing half of the dimer interface. The monomer adopts the phosphoribosyltransferase type I fold, with a small C-terminal hood defining the uracil-binding site. The structure contains a well defined UMP molecule in the active site. The binding of UMP involves two sequence segments that are highly conserved among UPRTases. The first segment, Asp131-Ser139, contains the PRPP-binding consensus sequence motif known from other type I phosphoribosyltransferases and binds the ribose-5'-phosphate part of UMP. The second segment, Tyr193-Ala201, which is specific for uracil phosphoribosyltransferases, binds the uracil part of UMP through backbone contacts, partly mediated by a water molecule. Modelling of a PRPP-enzyme complex reveals that uracil can be activated to its tautomeric enol form by the complex. This is consistent with kinetic data, which display ordered sequential binding of substrates, with PRPP binding first. Based on this observation, a reaction mechanism is proposed. << Less

  Acta Crystallogr. D 58:936-945(2002) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Expression, purification, and characterization of uracil phosphoribosyltransferase from Toxoplasma gondii.

  Carter D., Donald R.G.K., Roos D., Ullman B.

  The coding region derived from a full-length CDNA spanning the uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRT) gene of Toxoplasma gondii has been ligated into a bacterial expression vector and overexpressed in E. coli. Recombinant UPRT protein migrated with a molecular mass of 27 kDa on SDS polyacrylamide ... >> More

  The coding region derived from a full-length CDNA spanning the uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRT) gene of Toxoplasma gondii has been ligated into a bacterial expression vector and overexpressed in E. coli. Recombinant UPRT protein migrated with a molecular mass of 27 kDa on SDS polyacrylamide gels and was purified to homogeneity by conventional protein purification techniques. In solution, UPRT behaved as a monomer and exhibited K(m)app values of 3.5 microM for uracil and 243 microM for phosphoribosylpyrophosphate, respectively. Other naturally occurring pyrimidine or purine bases were not recognized as substrates. [14C]Uracil phosphoribosylation was inhibited by 5-fluorouracil with a Ki value of 25 microM and was not activated by GTP. Ample quantities of recombinant enzyme are now available for biochemical and structural studies, facilitating evaluation of UPRT as a possible therapeutic target. << Less

  Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 87:137-144(1997) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Allosteric properties of the GTP activated and CTP inhibited uracil phosphoribosyltransferase from the thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus.

  Jensen K.F., Arent S., Larsen S., Schack L.

  The upp gene, encoding uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRTase) from the thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity. It behaved as a tetramer in solution and showed optimal activity at pH 5.5 when assay ... >> More

  The upp gene, encoding uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRTase) from the thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity. It behaved as a tetramer in solution and showed optimal activity at pH 5.5 when assayed at 60 degrees C. Enzyme activity was strongly stimulated by GTP and inhibited by CTP. GTP caused an approximately 20-fold increase in the turnover number kcat and raised the Km values for 5-phosphoribosyl-1-diphosphate (PRPP) and uracil by two- and >10-fold, respectively. The inhibition by CTP was complex as it depended on the presence of the reaction product UMP. Neither CTP nor UMP were strong inhibitors of the enzyme, but when present in combination their inhibition was extremely powerful. Ligand binding analyses showed that GTP and PRPP bind cooperatively to the enzyme and that the inhibitors CTP and UMP can be bound simultaneously (KD equal to 2 and 0.5 microm, respectively). The binding of each of the inhibitors was incompatible with binding of PRPP or GTP. The data indicate that UPRTase undergoes a transition from a weakly active or inactive T-state, favored by binding of UMP and CTP, to an active R-state, favored by binding of GTP and PRPP. << Less

  FEBS J. 272:1440-1453(2005) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Two genes encoding uracil phosphoribosyltransferase are present in Bacillus subtilis.

  Martinussen J., Glaser P., Andersen P.S., Saxild H.H.

  Uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRTase) catalyzes the key reaction in the salvage of uracil in many microorganisms. Surprisingly, two genes encoding UPRTase activity were cloned from Bacillus subtilis by complementation of an Escherichia coli mutant. The genes were sequenced, and the putative a ... >> More

  Uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRTase) catalyzes the key reaction in the salvage of uracil in many microorganisms. Surprisingly, two genes encoding UPRTase activity were cloned from Bacillus subtilis by complementation of an Escherichia coli mutant. The genes were sequenced, and the putative amino acid sequences were deduced. One gene showed a high level of homology to UPRTases from other organisms, whereas the other gene with a low level of homology to other UPRTases turned out to be the pyrR gene--the repressor of the pyr operon. The role of these genes in uracil metabolism was established by an analysis of the phenotypes of upp and pyrR mutants. << Less

  J. Bacteriol. 177:271-274(1995) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• The structural mechanism of GTP stabilized oligomerization and catalytic activation of the Toxoplasma gondii uracil phosphoribosyltransferase.

  Schumacher M.A., Bashor C.J., Song M.H., Otsu K., Zhu S., Parry R.J., Ullman B., Brennan R.G.

  Uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRT) is a member of a large family of salvage and biosynthetic enzymes, the phosphoribosyltransferases, and catalyzes the transfer of ribose 5-phosphate from alpha-d-5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) to the N1 nitrogen of uracil. The UPRT from the opportuni ... >> More

  Uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRT) is a member of a large family of salvage and biosynthetic enzymes, the phosphoribosyltransferases, and catalyzes the transfer of ribose 5-phosphate from alpha-d-5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) to the N1 nitrogen of uracil. The UPRT from the opportunistic pathogen Toxoplasma gondii represents a promising target for rational drug design, because it can create intracellular, lethal nucleotides from subversive substrates. However, the development of such compounds requires a detailed understanding of the catalytic mechanism. Toward this end we determined the crystal structure of the T. gondii UPRT bound to uracil and cPRPP, a nonhydrolyzable PRPP analogue, to 2.5-A resolution. The structure suggests that the catalytic mechanism is substrate-assisted, and a tetramer would be the more active oligomeric form of the enzyme. Subsequent biochemical studies revealed that GTP binding, which has been suggested to play a role in catalysis by other UPRTs, causes a 6-fold activation of the T. gondii enzyme and strikingly stabilizes the tetramer form. The basis for stabilization was revealed in the 2.45-A resolution structure of the UPRT-GTP complex, whereby residues from three subunits contributed to GTP binding. Thus, our studies reveal an allosteric mechanism involving nucleotide stabilization of a more active, higher order oligomer. Such regulation of UPRT could play a role in the balance of purine and pyrimidine nucleotide pools in the cell. << Less

  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99:78-83(2002) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Different oligomeric states are involved in the allosteric behavior of uracil phosphoribosyltransferase from Escherichia coli.

  Jensen K.F., Mygind B.

  Uracil phosphoribosyltransferase, catalyzing the formation of UMP and pyrophosphate from uracil and 5-phosphoribosyl-alpha-1-diphosphate (PPRibP), was purified from an overproducing strain of Escherichia coli. GTP was shown to activate the enzyme by reducing K(m) for PPRibP by about fivefold witho ... >> More

  Uracil phosphoribosyltransferase, catalyzing the formation of UMP and pyrophosphate from uracil and 5-phosphoribosyl-alpha-1-diphosphate (PPRibP), was purified from an overproducing strain of Escherichia coli. GTP was shown to activate the enzyme by reducing K(m) for PPRibP by about fivefold without affecting Vmax. When started by addition of enzyme, the reactions accelerated over an extended period of time, while enzyme solutions incubated first with GTP and PPRibP displayed constant velocities. This indicated that PPRibP and GTP influenced the structure of the enzyme. Gel-filtration and sedimentation analyses showed that the apparent oligomeric state of uracil phosphoribosyltransferase is defined by a dynamic equilibrium between a slowly sedimenting form (dimeric or trimeric) that has only a little activity, and a more highly aggregated form (pentameric or hexameric), which is more active. It appears that the smaller form predominates in the absence of substrates, while the larger form predominates in the presence of GTP and PPRibP. Guanosine-3',5'-bis(diphosphate) was found to activate the enzyme much like GTP. << Less

  Eur. J. Biochem. 240:637-645(1996) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]