Azaserine Is a Structural Analog of Glutamine

question 9

Essay

Azaserine is a structural analog of glutamine. It is a competitive inhibitor of many enzymes that use glutamine as substrates. Name) three biosynthetic products whose synthesis you would expect to be inhibited by azaserine. Do you think that eating azaserine would be immediately fatal? Why or why not?

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Definitions:

mRNA Molecules

Messenger RNA molecules that carry genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where they specify the amino acid sequence of the protein products of gene expression.

Cytoplasm

The gel-like substance within a cell, excluding the nucleus, that contains organelles and is the site of most cellular processes.

Pre mRNA

The initial, unmodified RNA transcript produced during gene transcription, prior to processing into mRNA.

Inducible Genes

Genes whose expression is either initiated or increased in response to specific stimuli.