page_title: 5'-nucleotidase
hierarchical_section_title: 5'-nucleotidase
caption_attribution_description: English: This image shows the substrates and products of the 5'nucleotidase reaction
context_page_description: 5'-nucleotidase is an enzyme which catalyzes the phosphorylytic cleavage of 5'nucleotides. Although originally found in snake venom, the activity of 5'nucleotidase has been described for bacteria and plant cells, and is widely distributed in vertebrate tissue. In mammalian cells the enzyme is predominantly located in the plasma membrane and its primary role is in the conversion of extracellular nucleotides, which are generally impermeable, to the corresponding nucleoside which can readily enter most cells. Consequently, the enzyme plays a key role in the metabolism of nucleotides.
  The enzyme has a wide substrate specificity for nucleotides and has been shown to hydrolyze 5'nucleotides rapidly, ribose-5-phosphate slowly, and other phosphate esters extremely slowly.
  For example, the 5'nucleotidase enzyme catalyses the following chemical reactions
  a 5'-nucleotide + H₂O ⇌ a nucleoside + phosphate
  ribose 5-phosphate + H₂O ⇌ ribose + phosphate
  The 5'nucleotidase catalyzed reaction of an AMP nucleotide to adenosine nucleoside is shown below:
context_section_description: 5'-nucleotidase (EC 3.1.3.5) is an enzyme which catalyzes the phosphorylytic cleavage of 5'nucleotides. Although originally found in snake venom, the activity of 5'nucleotidase has been described for bacteria and plant cells, and is widely distributed in vertebrate tissue. In mammalian cells the enzyme is predominantly located in the plasma membrane and its primary role is in the conversion of extracellular nucleotides (e.g. 5'-AMP), which are generally impermeable, to the corresponding nucleoside (e.g. adenosine) which can readily enter most cells. Consequently, the enzyme plays a key role in the metabolism of nucleotides.
  The enzyme has a wide substrate specificity for nucleotides and has been shown to hydrolyze 5'nucleotides rapidly, ribose-5-phosphate slowly, and other phosphate esters extremely slowly (if at all).
  For example, the 5'nucleotidase enzyme catalyses the following chemical reactions
  a 5'-nucleotide + H₂O ⇌ a nucleoside + phosphate
  ribose 5-phosphate + H₂O ⇌ ribose + phosphate
  The 5'nucleotidase catalyzed reaction of an AMP nucleotide to adenosine nucleoside is shown below:
caption: AMP + H2O 
    
      
        
          ⇌
        
      
      {\displaystyle \rightleftharpoons }
    
   adenosine + phosphate
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