Overview and purpose of urea cycle

Overview and purpose of urea cycle

Overview and purpose of urea cycle

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Urea Cycle - The Body's Detox Plan

  • Primary Goal: Converts highly toxic ammonia ($NH_3$), a byproduct of amino acid catabolism, into urea for safe excretion.
  • Location: Predominantly in the liver, bridging mitochondrial and cytosolic compartments.
  • Overall Reaction: $2 NH_3 + CO_2 + 3 ATP ightarrow Urea + 2 ADP + AMP + 4 P_i + H_2O$

Urea Cycle Overview with Mitochondrial and Cytosolic Stages

High-Yield: Hyperammonemia (↑ $NH_3$) is neurotoxic, depleting α-ketoglutarate in the brain, which inhibits the Krebs cycle. This can lead to tremor (asterixis), slurring of speech, and coma.

The Cycle's Blueprint - From Ammonia to Urea

  • Primary Goal: Convert highly toxic free ammonia ($NH_3$) into urea for excretion by the kidneys. Prevents neurotoxicity.
  • Location: Occurs in hepatocytes, spanning two cellular compartments:
    • Mitochondria: First two steps.
    • Cytosol: Remaining three steps.
  • Nitrogen Sources: The two nitrogen atoms in urea are sourced from:
    • Free ammonia ($NH_3$)
    • Aspartate
  • Key Steps & Mnemonic:
    • 📌 Ordinarily, Careless Crappers Are Also Frivolous About Urination.
    • (Ornithine, Carbamoyl Phosphate, Citrulline, Aspartate, Argininosuccinate, Fumarate, Arginine, Urea)

Exam Favorite: The rate-limiting enzyme is Carbamoyl Phosphate Synthetase I (CPS I). Its activity is critically dependent on N-acetylglutamate (NAGS), an allosteric activator.

  • Overall Stoichiometry:
    • $2 NH_4^+ + HCO_3^- + 3 ATP + Aspartate ightarrow Urea + 2 ADP + 2 P_i + AMP + PP_i + Fumarate$

Cycle's Control Panel - Speed & Snafus

  • Primary Regulator: N-acetylglutamate (NAG) is the essential allosteric activator for the rate-limiting enzyme, Carbamoyl Phosphate Synthetase I (CPS I).
  • Feed-Forward Activation:
    • ↑ Arginine levels activate N-acetylglutamate synthase (NAGS).
    • NAGS synthesizes NAG from glutamate and acetyl-CoA.
  • Substrate Availability: High protein diet or prolonged fasting ↑ amino acid breakdown, boosting cycle flux.

Ornithine Transcarbamylase (OTC) Deficiency: The most common urea cycle disorder (X-linked). Excess carbamoyl phosphate is shunted to pyrimidine synthesis, causing ↑ orotic acid in blood & urine.

Urea Cycle with N-acetylglutamate Activation

High‑Yield Points - ⚡ Biggest Takeaways

  • The urea cycle is the body's primary mechanism for converting highly toxic ammonia (NH₃) into urea for excretion.
  • This crucial pathway occurs exclusively in the liver, with steps in both the mitochondria and cytosol.
  • The two nitrogen atoms in urea are sourced from free ammonia and aspartate.
  • The rate-limiting step is catalyzed by Carbamoyl Phosphate Synthetase I (CPS I).
  • N-acetylglutamate (NAG) is the essential allosteric activator of CPS I.
  • Inherited defects in the cycle lead to hyperammonemia, causing life-threatening encephalopathy.

Practice Questions: Overview and purpose of urea cycle

Test your understanding with these related questions

A 3-week old boy is brought to the physician for the evaluation of lethargy, recurrent vomiting, and poor weight gain since birth. Physical examination shows decreased skin turgor and a bulging frontal fontanelle. Serum studies show an ammonia concentration of 170 μmol/L (N < 30) and low serum citrulline levels. The oral intake of which of the following nutrients should be restricted in this patient?

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Flashcards: Overview and purpose of urea cycle

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Hyperammonemia results in excess NH3, which depletes _____, leading to inhibition of the TCA cycle

TAP TO REVEAL ANSWER

Hyperammonemia results in excess NH3, which depletes _____, leading to inhibition of the TCA cycle

-ketoglutarate

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