Phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP) is a
pentose phosphate. It is a biochemical intermediate in the formation of
purine nucleotides via
inosine-5-monophosphate, as well as in
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 other ...
nucleotide formation. Hence it is a building block for
DNA and
RNA
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...
.
The vitamins
thiamine and
cobalamin,
and the amino acid
tryptophan also contain fragments derived from PRPP.
It is formed from
ribose 5-phosphate (R5P) by the enzyme
ribose-phosphate diphosphokinase:
:

It plays a role in transferring phospho-ribose groups in several reactions, some of which are
salvage pathways:
In ''
de novo'' generation of purines, the enzyme
amidophosphoribosyltransferase
Amidophosphoribosyltransferase (ATase), also known as glutamine phosphoribosylpyrophosphate amidotransferase (GPAT), is an enzyme responsible for catalyzing the conversion of Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate, 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) int ...
acts upon PRPP to create
phosphoribosylamine.
[ The histidine biosynthesis pathway involves the reaction between PRPP and ]ATP
ATP may refer to:
Companies and organizations
* Association of Tennis Professionals, men's professional tennis governing body
* American Technical Publishers, employee-owned publishing company
* ', a Danish pension
* Armenia Tree Project, non ...
, which activates the latter to ring cleavage. Carbon atoms from ribose in PRPP form the linear chain and part of the imidazole ring in histidine. The same is true for the biosynthesis of tryptophan, with the first step being N-alkylation of anthranilic acid catalysed by the enzyme anthranilate phosphoribosyltransferase.
Increased PRPP
Increased levels of PRPP are characterized by the overproduction and accumulation of uric acid leading to hyperuricemia and hyperuricosuria. It is one of the causes of gout.
Increased levels of PRPP are present in Lesch–Nyhan Syndrome. Decreased levels of hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) causes this accumulation, as PRPP is a substrate used by HGPRT during purine salvage.
See also
* 5-Aminoimidazole ribotide
5′-Phosphoribosyl-5-aminoimidazole (or aminoimidazole ribotide, AIR) is a biochemical intermediate in the formation of purine nucleotides via inosine-5-monophosphate, and hence is a building block for DNA and RNA. The vitamins thiamine and coba ...
* Purine biosynthesis
Purine metabolism refers to the metabolic pathways to synthesize and break down purines that are present in many organisms.
Biosynthesis
Purines are biologically synthesized as nucleotides and in particular as ribotides, i.e. bases attached to ri ...
* Pyrimidine biosynthesis
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 other ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phosphoribosyl Pyrophosphate
Organophosphates
Monosaccharides