Background: Purine-nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) is known as a tool for the synthesis of various nucleosides and nucleoside analogues. Mechanism, properties, molecular diversity and inhibitors of PNP, particularly these of pharmacological significance, are briefly characterized.
Methods: UV and fluorescence spectroscopy was used for kinetic experiments, and HPLC chromatography for product analyses.
Results: Applications of various forms of PNP to synthesis of selected fluorescent nucleosides, particularly ribosides of 1,N6-ethenoadenine and various 8-azapurines (triazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidines) are reviewed. Different specificity of various PNP forms is described towards nucleobase and analogue substrates as well as variable ribosylation sites observed in some reactions, with a possibility to further modify these features via the site-directed mutagenesis.
Conclusion: Present and future applications of the fluorescent or fluorogenic ribosides are discussed, with particular emphasis on biochemical and clinical analyses with improved sensitivity.
Keywords: enzyme assays; enzyme-ligand complexes.; fluorescence; isozymes; nucleoside analogs; purine-nucleoside phosphorylase.
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