α,β-Methyleneadenosine 5’-triphosphate (αβ-methylene ATP) is a phosphonic analog of ATP that is characterized by the replacement of the bridging oxygen atom between the α- and β-phosphate groups with methylene. It is an agonist of P2X purinoceptors P2X1 and P2X3 (EC50 = ~1 µM) and is ~1,000-fold less potent at P2X2, P2X receptors 4-7, and P2Y receptors. [1][2][3][4] Persistent activation of purinoceptors results in desensitization, resulting in an antagonist-like effect of αβ-methylene ATP. [5] αβ-methylene ATP is used as a stable analog of ATP to study the interaction of ATP with kinases and other proteins. [6][7] It weakly binds and inhibits adenylate cyclase in a calcium-dependent manner (Ki= ~0.5 mM). [8][9]
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