Yeast

The purpose of this study was to examine mutations in the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) adenine biosynthesis pathway. Adenine is one of the four nucleotides making up DNA, and thus is a vital compound for the survival of the yeast. The synthesis pathway of adenine has many steps, with different enzymes changing the compound until finally adenine is produced. The enzymes involved in these steps are named “Ade” followed by a number. This study examined mutation in the Ade1 and Ade2 enzymes. Ade2 converts the compound AIR into CAIR, and Ade1 converts CAIR into SAICAIR