What are nucleotides made of?
Nucleotides are the basic building blocks of nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA. Each nucleotide is composed of three main components: a nitrogenous base, a five-carbon sugar molecule, and one or more phosphate groups. According to difference of sugars, nucleotides are divided into ribonucleotides and deoxynucleotides. According to the type of bases, there are conclues adenine nucleotides (AMP), cytosine nucleotides (CMP), guanine nucleotides (GMP), uracil nucleus Uridine acid (UMP), thymine nucleotide (TMP) and hypoxanthine nucleotide (inosinic acid, IMP), etc.
Product Features & Applications
Product Features:
Thousands of nucleotides from gram scale, kg scale to hundreds of kgs
Full list of natural unmodified NTPs & dNTPs
Various kinds of modified nucleotides
Main Applications:
Nucleotides applied on DNA/RNA
Nucleotides applied on Proteins/Enzymes
Reagents for Drug discovery
Phosphoramidites for oligonucleotide synthesis
Biological functions of nucleotides
Nucleotide compounds have an important biological functions for our body, they participate in almost all biochemical reaction processes in organisms. Firstly, nucleotides are the units that make up DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid), and they exist in almost all living organisms. Nucleotides are distributed in the nucleus and cytoplasm of various organs, tissues, and cells along with nucleic acids, and are used as components of nucleic acids to participate in basic life activities such as genetics, development, and growth of organisms. There are a considerable amount of nucleotides in free form in organisms. Sencondly, adenosine triphosphate plays a major role in cell energy metabolism. The energy release and absorption in the body is mainly reflected by the production and consumption of adenosine triphosphate. Thirdly, ATP can also generate UTP, CTP and GTP，they are also a direct energy source. Moreover, some nucleotide derivatives are also activated intermediate metabolites. In addition, uridine triphosphate, cytidine triphosphate and guanosine triphosphate are also sources of energy in the synthesis and metabolism of some substances, and adenylate is also a component of some coenzymes, such as coenzyme I, II and coenzyme A. Besides, cyclic nucleotides have a certain regulatory effect on many basic biological processes.
In the field of metabolism
In the area of nucleotides’ anabolism, purine nucleotides are mainly synthesized from some simple compounds. The de novo synthesis of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides are mainly carried out in the liver, followed by the small intestinal mucosa and thymus for the purine nucleotides, the synthetic raw materials of pyrimidine nucleotides are carbamoyl phosphate and aspartic acid. Both purine and pyrimidine nucleotides synthesized in the body are nucleoside monophosphates, they can all accept the phosphate group provided by ATP under the catalysis of phosphokinase, and further transform into nucleoside diphosphate and nucleoside triphosphate. Purine nucleotides undergo catabolism in the body, deaminated to generate hypoxanthine and xanthine, and then oxidized under the catalysis of xanthine oxidase to finally generate uric acid. Uric acid can be excreted with urine. The decomposition products of pyrimidine nucleotides in the body are CO2, β-alanine and β-aminoisobutyric acid. The synthesis of nucleotides in the body is subject to feedback regulation.
The Connection of nucleotides with medicine
Abnormal nucleotide metabolism can cause some diseases. For example, the recovery and synthesis of GMP and IMP requires the participation of Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT). If this enzyme is genetically lacking, mental retardation, ataxia, hostility, and invasion may occur at the age of 2 to 3 years. Sexual and self-destructive appearance (Lesch-Nihan II syndrome). The final product of purine nucleotide catabolism is uric acid. Elevated blood uric acid levels (hyperuricemia) are common in gout. When the blood uric acid content exceeds 8mg, uric acid is deposited in the joints and soft tissues in the form of sodium salt, cartilage and kidneys. Primary gout is a disease of inborn errors of metabolism. The hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase in the patient’s body is partly lacking, which leads to the large production of uric acid. Secondary gout can be seen in various kidney diseases, blood diseases and lymphomas. Nucleic acid is decomposed in a large amount in the patient’s cells, so the production of uric acid is increased. Insufficient synthesis or imbalance of cAMP is related to some disease processes. For example, bronchial wheezing, psoriasis and diabetes. Pyrimidine synthesis disorder has orotic aciduria, which is caused by the deficiency of orotate phosphoribosyl transferase and orotate nucleotide decarboxylase. In the clinical application of nucleotide analogs, the nucleotide analogs 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) and 5-fluorouracil (5FU) are used in tumor chemotherapy.
Other Blogs
Application of Nucleotides in the Direction of RNA Vaccines
Application of Nucleotides in Kits
Application of Nucleotides in PCR
Nucleotide in Nucleic Acid Medicine
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Reference
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4. Mogens K , Karin H , Peter R J , et al. Nucleotide metabolism and its control in lactic acid bacteria[J]. Fems Microbiology Reviews, 2010(3):555-590.
5. Wilson J M , Young A B , Kelley W N . Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase deficiency[J]. Human Genetics, 1976, 31(15):127-150.
6. A Sułkowska, J Równicka, Bojko B , et al. Interaction of anticancer drugs with human and bovine serum albumin[J]. Journal of Molecular Structure, 2003, 651(02):133-140.