The Nucleotide Clinic

Patient III:

Yes !
The salvage of some hypoxanthine and guanine to ribonucleotides by the Hypoxanthine Guanine PhosphoRibosyl Transferase (HGPRT) reaction is essential for maintaining normal nucleotide balance.

Patient III produces more uric acid than normal due to failure to salvage Hypoxanthine and Guanine by Hypoxanthine Guanine PhosphoRibosyl Transferase (HGPRT). Loss of HGPRT activity allows more purines (hypoxanthine and guanine) to be directed toward Uric Acid production. Consequently uric acid increases to concentrations higher than normal in tissues, blood and urine.

Curser Over To Review
the Purine Breakdown Pathways

Curser Over To Review
Purine Nucleotide Biosynthesis
Would you expect cells of Patient III to have normal, lower than normal or higher than normal de novo purine biosynthesis?  
Next