Uridine diphosphate glucose

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Template:Chembox new Uridine diphosphate glucose (uracil-diphosphate glucose, UDP-glucose) is a nucleotide sugar. It is involved in glycosyltransferase reactions in metabolism.

Functions

It is used in nucleotide sugars metabolism as an activated form of glucose as a substrate for enzymes called glucosyltransferases.[1]

It is a precursor of glycogen and can be converted into UDP-galactose and UDP-glucuronic acid, which can then be used as substrates by the enzymes that make polysaccharides containing galactose and glucuronic acid.

UDP-glucose can also be used as a precursor of sucrose lipopolysaccharides, and glycosphingolipids.

Components

UDP-glucose consists of the pyrophosphate group, the pentose sugar ribose, glucose, and the nucleobase uracil.

References

  1. Rademacher T, Parekh R, Dwek R (1988). "Glycobiology". Annu Rev Biochem. 57: 785–838. PMID 3052290.

See also

Template:Nucleotide sugars

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