Overview
Cytidine deaminase is an enzyme that plays an important role in cellular energy metabolism, as well as its role as a defense mechanism against RNA viruses. It is capable of catalyzing the deamination of cytidine to uridine and of 5-methylcytidine to 5-methyluridine, with the crucial reaction needed for pyrimidine catabolism. This process is particularly important for the metabolic pathways that break down certain nucleic acids for energy production. In addition, cytidine deaminase activity is important for antiviral defense, such as interferon-induced antiviral immunity. In particular, cytidine deaminase is capable of inducing specific mutations in viral RNA genomes, which can reduce their replicative capability. This makes cytidine deaminase a key component in the host's innate response to viral infection, as well as a potential target for antiviral drug development.