enzymology An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...

, a dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (NADP+) () is an

enzyme An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...

that catalyzes the

chemical reaction A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the chemistry, chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. When chemical reactions occur, the atoms are rearranged and the reaction is accompanied by an Gibbs free energy, ...

:5,6-dihydrouracil + NADP⁺

\rightleftharpoons

uracil + NADPH + H⁺ Thus, the two substrates of this enzyme are 5,6-dihydrouracil and NADP⁺, whereas its 3 products are

uracil Uracil () (nucleoside#List of nucleosides and corresponding nucleobases, symbol U or Ura) is one of the four nucleotide bases in the nucleic acid RNA. The others are adenine (A), cytosine (C), and guanine (G). In RNA, uracil binds to adenine via ...

NADPH Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, abbreviated NADP or, in older notation, TPN (triphosphopyridine nucleotide), is a cofactor used in anabolic reactions, such as the Calvin cycle and lipid and nucleic acid syntheses, which require N ...

, and H⁺. In humans the enzyme is encoded by the ''DPYD''

gene In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...

. It is the initial and rate-limiting step in pyrimidine catabolism. It catalyzes the reduction of

and

thymine Thymine () (symbol T or Thy) is one of the four nucleotide bases in the nucleic acid of DNA that are represented by the letters G–C–A–T. The others are adenine, guanine, and cytosine. Thymine is also known as 5-methyluracil, a pyrimidine ...

. It is also involved in the degradation of the chemotherapeutic drugs 5-fluorouracil and tegafur. It also participates in beta-alanine metabolism and pantothenate and coa biosynthesis.

Terminology

The

systematic name A systematic name is a name given in a systematic way to one unique group, organism, object or chemical substance, out of a specific population or collection. Systematic names are usually part of a nomenclature. A semisystematic name or semitrivi ...

of this enzyme class is 5,6-dihydrouracil:NADP+ 5-oxidoreductase.
Other names in common use include: * dihydrothymine dehydrogenase *dihydrouracil dehydrogenase (NADP+) *4,5-dihydrothymine: oxidoreductase *DPD *DHPDH *dehydrogenase, dihydrouracil (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, phosphate) *DHU dehydrogenase *hydropyrimidine dehydrogenase *dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (NADP+)

Structural studies

As of late 2007, 5 structures have been solved for this class of enzymes, with PDB accession codes , , , , and .

Function

The protein is a

pyrimidine Pyrimidine (; ) is an aromatic, heterocyclic, organic compound similar to pyridine (). One of the three diazines (six-membered heterocyclics with two nitrogen atoms in the ring), it has nitrogen atoms at positions 1 and 3 in the ring. The oth ...

catabolic enzyme and the initial and rate-limiting factor in the pathway of

and

thymidine Thymidine (nucleoside#List of nucleosides and corresponding nucleobases, symbol dT or dThd), also known as deoxythymidine, deoxyribosylthymine, or thymine deoxyriboside, is a pyrimidine nucleoside, deoxynucleoside. Deoxythymidine is the DNA nuc ...

catabolism Catabolism () is the set of metabolic pathways that breaks down molecules into smaller units that are either oxidized to release energy or used in other anabolic reactions. Catabolism breaks down large molecules (such as polysaccharides, lipid ...

. Genetic deficiency of this enzyme results in an error in pyrimidine metabolism associated with thymine-uraciluria and an increased risk of toxicity in cancer patients receiving 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy.

Terminology

Structural studies

Function

Interactive pathway map

See also

References

Further reading