Azaserine is a structural analog of glutamine It is a compet

Azaserine is a structural analog of glutamine. It is a competitive inhibitor of many enzymes that use glutamine as substrates. What three biosynthetic products would you expect to be inhibited by azaserine. Do you think that eating azaserine would be immediately fatal? Why or why not?

Solution

1. a) In de novo synthesis of purine nucleotide includes 10 steps.

b) In the 4th step, addition of N₃ is catalyzed by Formyl glycinamide ribonucleotide amidotransferase.

c) This enzyme is inhibited by azaserine.

2. It also inhibits vesicle uptake of L-Proline and alpha-methyl D-glucose which effects membrane transport system.

3. it is also potent inhibitor of GGT which catalyzes the transfer of glutamyl moiety of glutathione to a variety amino acids and dipeptide acceptors.

4. Eating of azaserine would not be immediately fatal. It woudl take some time for deficiency cytidine triphosphate, AMP, GMP, tryptophan, etc.to become sever death.