5-fluoro Orotic Acid (hydrate)

5-fluoro Orotic Acid (hydrate) (CAS No.: 220141-70-8) is a fluorinated pyrimidine analog widely employed as a selective agent in yeast molecular genetics and functional genomics studies, particularly for interrogating URA3 gene status. This compound is metabolically converted by orotidine-5′-monophosphate decarboxylase, the enzyme encoded by URA3, into a cytotoxic fluorinated nucleotide derivative that disrupts nucleotide metabolism and inhibits cell proliferation, thereby enabling negative selection of URA3-positive cells while permitting the survival of URA3-deficient mutants in uracil-supplemented media. In addition to its utility in genetic selection systems, 5-fluoro Orotic Acid (hydrate) is recognized as an inhibitor of thymidylate synthase, linking its mechanism of action to interference with DNA synthesis and cellular replication, typically observed at low micromolar to micromolar concentrations in vitro depending on the biological context. This dual functionality supports its application in pathway analysis, strain engineering, and validation of gene disruption or recombination events in yeast and related model organisms. Furthermore, its reported antimalarial activity highlights broader relevance in antiproliferative and anti-infective research, making it a useful tool compound in early-stage drug discovery and mechanistic studies, where experimental concentrations are adjusted according to specific assay systems and study objectives.