Function Adenine phosphoribosyltransferase

in organisms can synthesize purines de novo, nucleotide salvage pathway provides alternative energetically more efficient. can salvage adenine polyamine biosynthetic pathway or dietary sources of purines. although aprtase functionally redundant in these organisms, becomes more important during periods of rapid growth, such embryogenesis , tumor growth. constitutively expressed in mammalian tissue.

in protozoan parasites, nucleotide salvage pathway provides sole means nucleotide synthesis. since consequences of aprtase deficiency in humans comparatively mild , treatable, may possible treat parasitic infections targeting aprtase function.

in plants, in other organisms, arptase functions synthesis of adenylate. has unique ability metabolize cytokinins—a plant hormone can exist base, nucleotide, or nucleoside—into adenylate nucleotides.

aprt functionally related hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt).