| Description | Xanthosine, also known as xanthine riboside, belongs to the class of organic compounds known as purine nucleosides. Purine nucleosides are compounds comprising a purine base attached to a ribosyl or deoxyribosyl moiety. Xanthosine is a nucleoside derived from xanthine and ribose. Xanthosine exists in all living species, ranging from bacteria to plants to humans. In plants xanthosine is the biosynthetic precursor to 7-methylxanthosine which is produced by the action of the enzyme known as 7-methylxanthosine synthase. 7-Methylxanthosine in turn is the precursor to theobromine (the active alkaloid in chocolate), which in turn is the precursor to caffeine, the active alkaloid in coffee and tea. Within humans, xanthosine participates in a number of enzymatic reactions. In particular, xanthosine can be biosynthesized from xanthylic acid; which is catalyzed by the enzyme cytosolic purine 5'-nucleotidase. In addition, xanthosine can be converted into xanthine and ribose 1-phosphate; which is mediated by the enzyme purine nucleoside phosphorylase. Xanthosine monophosphate (XMP) is an intermediate in purine metabolism, formed from IMP (inosine monophosphate). |
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| InChI Identifier | InChI=1S/C10H12N4O6/c15-1-3-5(16)6(17)9(20-3)14-2-11-4-7(14)12-10(19)13-8(4)18/h2-3,5-6,9,15-17H,1H2,(H2,12,13,18,19)/t3-,5-,6-,9-/m1/s1 |
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