Investigation of the iso-orotate decarboxylation reaction mechanism : enzymatic and non-enzymatic and study of the isotope effects involved in its mechanism

Abstract

Some organisms, such as Neurospora crassa, have a unique capability of producing uracil through the thymine salvage pathway. The enzyme involved in the final step of this pathway, Iso-orotate decarboxylase, catalyzes conversion of Iso-orotate to uracil through a decarboxylation reaction. The project done in the lab mainly concentrated on kinetic studies on the non-enzymatic conversion of Iso-orotate to uracil. Apart from this isotope effects involved in the reaction have also been studied to get a comprehensive understanding on the mechanistic details involved in the decarboxylation reaction catalyzed by Iso-orotate decarboxylase. This work will provide a foundation for future mechanistic studies with the enzyme.