De novo Biosynthesis of Purines in the Retina: Evolutionary Aspects

The author's own experimental findings and some literature data are summarized concerning the presence in the retina of the key enzymes of de novo biosynthesis of purines, (adenine and guanine), ones of the first organic compounds that appeared on the Earth and are the main components of DNA an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of evolutionary biochemistry and physiology 2001-01, Vol.37 (1), p.1-10
Main Author: Etingof, R N
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptations
Adenine
Biosynthesis
Data processing
Daytime
DNA
E coli
Enzymes
Escherichia coli
Evolution
Guanine
Liver
Nerves
nucleic acids
Organic compounds
Photoreceptors
Protein biosynthesis
purines
Retina
RNA
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Summary:The author's own experimental findings and some literature data are summarized concerning the presence in the retina of the key enzymes of de novo biosynthesis of purines, (adenine and guanine), ones of the first organic compounds that appeared on the Earth and are the main components of DNA and RNA, nucleic acids providing protein synthesis. For the first time, highly purified preparations of these enzymes from the nerve tissue have been obtained, and their properties, activity control, and distribution in the photoreceptor cells have been studied. The data obtained are compared with the literature data on these enzymes in liver and on the systems regulating the enzyme activity in E. coli. The light-dependent, genetically determined changes in the key enzyme activities were found in the retina within the 24-h period: these activities significantly differed in the daytime and night periods (biorhythms), which indicates a direct relation of the photoreceptor to the retinal adaptation system. The data on diversity of retinal photoreceptors and their presence in cells of other tissues, as well as possible perspectives of this direction of research are briefly discussed. In each section, the evolutionary aspects of the obtained facts are considered.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0022-0930
1608-3202
DOI:10.1023/A:1017585016010