Function:
The Metabolism of Nucleotides
Before we look at nucleic acid structure, we need to study the synthesis of the purine and pyrimidine ribonucleotides and the subsequent synthesis of the deoxyribonucleotides, followed by their catabolic and recycling pathways. The synthetic pathways are particularly detailed, and I suggest that you review my introduction to the study of biochemical pathways so that you can break the information down into manageable pieces. Along the way, we will correlate the information, where appropriate, to disease states. In such instances, I will use the header "Clinical Correlate".
 
Purine Ribonucleotide Synthesis
Surprisingly, the purine ribonucleotides are formed as such de novo, and the bases themselves are derived from them. The first purine ribonucleotide to be synthesized in an organism is inosine monophosphate.