Adenosine Monophosphate: Function & Diseases

Adenosine monophosphate is a nucleotide that can be part of the energy carrier adenosine triphosphate (ATP). As a cyclic adenosine monophosphate, it also performs the function of a second messenger. Among other things, it is formed during the cleavage of ATP, which releases energy.

What is adenosine monophosphate?

Adenosine monophosphate (C10H14N5O7P) is a nucleotide and belongs to the purine ribotides. Purine is a building material in the human body that is also found in all other living things. The molecule forms a double ring and never occurs alone: Purine is always linked with other molecules to form larger units. Purine forms a building block of adenine. This base is also found in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and encodes genetically stored information. In addition to adenine, guanine is also one of the purine bases. The adenine in adenosine monophosphate is linked to two other building blocks: Ribose and phosphoric acid. Ribose is a sugar with the molecular formula C5H10O5. Biology also refers to the molecule as pentose because it consists of a five-membered ring. Phosphoric acid binds to the fifth carbon atom of ribose in adenosine monophosphate. Other names for adenosine monophosphate are adenylate and adenylic acid.

Function, action, and roles

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) assists in the transduction of hormonal signals. A steroid hormone, for example, docks with a receptor located on the outside of the cell’s membrane. In a sense, the receptor is the cell’s first receiver. The hormone and the receptor fit together like a lock and key, thereby triggering a biochemical reaction in the cell. In this case, therefore, the hormone is the first messenger, activating the enzyme adenylate cyclase. This biocatalyst now cleaves ATP in the cell, producing cAMP. In turn, cAMP activates another enzyme that, depending on the cell type, triggers the cell response – for example, the production of a new hormone. Adenosine monophosphate thus has the function of your second signal substance or second messenger here. However, the number of molecules does not remain the same from step to step: per reaction step, the molecules increase approximately tenfold, amplifying the cell’s response. This is also the reason why hormones, even in very low concentrations, are sufficient to trigger a strong response. At the end of the reaction, all that remains of the cAMP is adenosine monophosphate, which other enzymes can recycle. When an enzyme cleaves AMP from adenosine triphosphate (ATP), energy is produced. The human body makes use of this energy in many ways. ATP is the most important energy carrier within living organisms and ensures that biochemical processes can take place at the micro level as well as muscle movements. Adenosine monophosphate is also one of the building blocks of ribonucleic acid (RNA). In the nucleus of human cells, genetic information is stored in the form of DNA. In order for the cell to work with it, it copies the DNA and creates RNA. DNA and RNA contain the same information on the same segments, but they differ in the structure of their molecules.

Formation, occurrence, properties, and optimal values

Adenosine monophosphate can be formed from adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The enzyme adenylate cyclase cleaves ATP, releasing energy in the process. The phosphoric acid of the substances plays a particularly important role in this process. Phosphoanhydrite bonds couple the individual molecules together. The cleavage can have different possible outcomes: Either enzymes split the ATP into adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and orthophosphate or into AMP and pyrophosphate. Since energy metabolism is essentially like a cycle, enzymes can also recombine the individual building blocks to form ATP. The mitochondria are responsible for the synthesis of ATP. Mitochondria are cell organelles that have the function of power plants of the cells. They are separated from the rest of the cell by their own membrane. Mitochondria are inherited from the mother (maternal). Adenosine monophosphate is found in all cells and is thus found everywhere in the human body.

Diseases and disorders

Several problems can occur in connection with adenosine monophosphate. For example, the synthesis of ATP in mitochondria may be disturbed. Medicine also refers to such a dysfunction as mitochondriopathy.It can have various causes, including stress, poor nutrition, poisoning, free radical damage, chronic inflammation, infections and intestinal diseases. Genetic defects are also often responsible for the development of the syndrome. Mutations alter the genetic code and lead to various disturbances in energy metabolism or in the construction of molecules. These mutations are not necessarily located in the DNA of the cell nucleus; mitochondria have their own genetic material that exists independently of the cell nucleus DNA. In mitochondriopathy, mitochondria produce ATP only at a slower rate; cells therefore have less energy. Instead of building complete ATP, the mitochondria synthesize more ADP than normal. The cells can also use ADP for energy, but ADP gives off less energy than ATP. In mitochondriopathy, the body can use glucose for energy; its breakdown produces lactic acid. Mitochondriopathy is not a disease in its own right, but is a syndrome that can be part of a disease. Medical science summarizes various manifestations of mitochondrial disorders under the term. For example, it can occur in the context of the MELAS syndrome. This is a neurological clinical picture characterized by seizures, brain damage and increased formation of lactic acid. In addition, mitochondriopathy is also associated with various forms of dementia.