Under normal conditions adenosine is formed either by an intracellular 5`nucleotidase, which dephosphorylates AMP, or by the hydrolysis of S-adenosylhomcysteine by hydrolase. An alternative pathway of AMP degradations is provided by the cytosolic enzyme AMP deaminase (AMPD), which catalyses the irreversible deamination of AMP to inosine monophosphate and ammonia.