Uracil is a pyrimidine nucleobase found in RNA, and can be used as a source of nitrogen for E. coli. There are at least three pathways through which uracil is degraded. This one begins with uracil, which originates from purine degradation. The putative monooxygenase enzyme rutA catalyzes the breakdown of uracil into peroxyaminoacrylate, using FMNH2 as a cofactor. Peroxyaminoacrylate is then broken down into both carbamic acid and 3-aminoacrylate following the addition of a water molecule by the putative isochorismatase family protein rutB. Carbamic acid can then spontaneously, with the addition of a hydrogen ion, split into an ammonium ion and a molecule of carbon dioxide. 3-aminoacrylate, on the other hand, is catalyzed by the UPF0076 protein rutC to form 2-aminoacrylic acid. This compound enters into a reaction catalyzed by protein rutD, which adds a water molecule and hydrogen ion and forms malonic semialdehyde with ammonium being a byproduct. Finally, the putative NADH dehydrogenase/NAD(P)H nitroreductase rutE complex converts malonic semialdehyde into hydroxypropionic acid, which is then used to form other necessary chemicals. The ammonium ions produced will be the important source of nitrogen for the bacteria.

Uracil Degradation III References