CAS 220141-70-8: 5-Fluoroorotic acid monohydrate

5-Fluoroorotic acid (monohydrate) (5-Fluorouracil-6-carboxylic acid Mono(hydrate); 5-FOA) is employed to detect the expression of the URA3 gene in yeast molecular genetic constructs. Yeast possessing an active URA3 gene (which encodes orotidine-5'-monophosphate decarboxylase) convert 5-FOA into 5-fluorodeoxyuridine, a substance toxic to cells. Yeast strains with mutations in the URA3 gene that confer resistance can grow in the presence of 5-FOA if uracil is added to the medium.

5-Fluoroorotic acid monohydrate

Applications 5-FOA has become a valuable tool for research in the field of molecular genetics. It has been employed in the selection of resistant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that possess a mutant URA3 gene which renders them orotidine-5'-phosphate decarboxylase deficient. 5-FOA is coverted to 5-fluorouridine monophosphate (5-FUMP) in yeast cells, which can become incorporated into RNA or metabolized to the highly toxic 5-fluoro-2’-deoxyuridine monophosphate (5-FdUMP). 5-FdUMP is a potent inhibitor of thymidylate synthase (TS), causing the cessation of DNA synthesis. More recently, 5-FOA has been shown to possess potent antimalarial activity against both chloroquine-susceptible and chloroquine-resistant clones of Plasmodium falciparum. Studies indicate that TS is the primary target of 5-FOA in m References Winston, F., et al.: Genetics, 107, 179 (1984); Boeke, J.D., et al.: Methods Enzymol., 154, 164 (1987); Rathod, P.K., et al.: Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 33, 1090 (1989); Rathod, P.K., et al.: Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 36, 704 (1992); Gomez, Z.M . and Rathod, P.K.: Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 34, 1371 (1990); Gassis, S. and Rathod, P.K.: Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 40, 914 (1996)