5-Deoxyadenosine (5dAdo) is a by-product of many radical SAM enzyme reactions in all domains of life, and an inhibitor of the radical SAM enzymes themselves. Hence, pathways to recycle or dispose of this toxic by-product must exist but remain largely unexplored. In this review, we discuss the curren …

In the absence of the adenosine dearninase inhibitor, deamination was the major route of deoxyadenosine metabolism in mouse brain, heart, kidney, and liver and in mouse and human erythrocytes, whereas phosphorylation and deamination were nearly equivalent in sheep erythrocytes.

Adenosine may be generated intracellularly in the central nervous system from degradation of AMP or from the hydrolysis of S-adenosyl homocysteine, and then exit via bi-directional nucleoside transporters, or extracellularly by the metabolism of released nucleotides.

This review contains the latest data on the effect of adenosine on cells in the TME. It focuses on enzymes involved in the metabolism of adenosine-ADK and ADA and provides an overview of biological significance of ADK and ADA and their role in the development of tumor.

We highlight studies that report on how, in certain organisms, the salvage of 5dAdo via specific pathways can confer a growth advantage by providing either intermediates for the synthesis of secondary metabolites or a carbon source for the synthesis of metabolites of the central carbon metabolism.