Carbocyclic substrates for de novo purine biosynthesis

The carbocyclic analogues of phosphoribosylamine, glycinamide ribonucleotide, and formylglycinamide ribonucleotide have been prepared as the racemates. Carbocyclic phosphoribosylamine was utilized as a substrate by the monofunctional glycinamide ribonucleotide synthetase from Escherichia coli as well as the glycinamide ribonucleotide synthetase activity of the eucaryotic trifunctional enzyme of de novo purine biosynthesis. Furthermore, carbocyclic glycinamide ribonucleotide was processed in the reverse reaction catalyzed by these enzymes. In addition, carbocyclic formylglycinamide ribonucleotide was converted, by E. coli formylglycinamide ribonucleotide synthetase, to carbocyclic formylglycinamidine ribonucleotide, which was accepted as a substrate by the aminoimidazole ribonucleotide synthetase activity of the trifunctional enzyme. This study has afforded carbocyclic substrate analogues, in particular for the chemically labile phosphoribosyl amine, for the initial steps of de novo purine biosynthesis.