The dihydroorotate dehydrogenases

Abstract

The dihydroorotate dehydrogenase is a flavoenzyme that catalyzes the stereoselective oxidation of (S)-dihydroorotate (DHO) to orotate (ORO) as part of the de novo pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway. In the present work, we present an overview about the structure, function and mechanism of action of DHODHs. We also discuss about the current use of DHODH inhibitors as immunosuppressant and antiproliferative agents and present the latest findings on the potential use of DHODH as target for drug development against viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases.