Urinary orotic acid in pregnancy

Deficiency of UMP synthase in dairy cattle: a model for hereditary orotic aciduria

Deficiency of uridine-5'-monophosphate (UMP) synthase in dairy cattle, a condition analogous to human hereditary orotic aciduria, is reviewed with consideration of similarities and differences between the enzyme deficiency in humans and cattle. New findings regarding the bovine condition are reported including presence of the enzyme deficiency in numerous tissues and absence of substantial effects on other aspects of nucleotide metabolism. Specifically, erythrocyte concentration of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) and activities of PRPP synthetase, adenine phosphoribosyltransferase, and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase appear to be normal in cattle heterozygous for UMP synthase deficiency.

The role of hepatic ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency in the orotic aciduria of pregnant mice

Groups of normal and heterozygote sparse-fur (spf) mutant mice were studied at various stages of gestation, to assess the effects of normal pregnancy on orotate excretion, hepatic mitochondrial urea cycle enzymes and any predisposition to the development of fatty liver. Results show a higher total daily excretion of urinary orotate by normal pregnant mice on the 8th and 15th days of gestation, which came to within the usual basal range of excretion of non-pregnant mutant heterozygotes with hereditary ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency. Liver ornithine transcarbamylase and carbamyl phosphate synthetase-I activities were reduced in pregnant mice on the 16th day of gestation (P less than 0.05). No fatty change, bile stasis or glycogen depletion was discernible on optical microscopy in normal or mutant mice. Nonspecific changes were seen on ultrastructural examination. Orotic aciduria seen in pregnant mice may be directly related to a physiological deficiency of liver ornithine transcarbamylase. However, the depletion of both the mitochondrial urea cycle enzymes, seen on the 16th day of pregnancy, may be indicative of a metabolic stress at the mitochondrial level.