Thymidine monophosphate
Verifiedfieldschanged
Watchedfieldschanged
Verifiedrevid470609635
IupacnameThymidine monophosphate
Othernames5'-Thymidylic acid

Thymidine monophosphate (TMP), also known as thymidylic acid (conjugate base thymidylate), deoxythymidine monophosphate (dTMP), or deoxythymidylic acid (conjugate base deoxythymidylate), is a nucleotide that is used as a monomer in DNA. It is an ester of phosphoric acid with the nucleoside thymidine. dTMP consists of a phosphate group, the pentose sugar deoxyribose, and the nucleobase thymine. Unlike the other deoxyribonucleotides, thymidine monophosphate often does not contain the "deoxy" prefix in its name; nevertheless, its symbol often includes a "d" ("dTMP").[1] Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary[2] provides an explanation of the nomenclature variation at its entry for thymidine.

As a substituent, it is called by the prefix thymidylyl-.

Thymidine monophosphate formation

Cells utilize two separate pathways to produce thymidine monophosphate. One of these pathways is a salvage pathway. In the salvage pathway, thymidine (dT) undergoes phosphorylation by the enzyme TK1.[3] By phosphorylating dT, TK1 adds a phosphate group to dT, resulting in dTMP. The other pathway that leads to the formation of TMP is a de novo, pathway. During the de novo pathway, dTMP is formed from the nucleotide deoxyuridine monophosphate (dUMP). In this pathway, thymidylate synthase (TS) adds a methyl group to deoxyuridine monophosphate to form dTMP.[4]

Uses in DNA

Following its synthesis by the salvage or de novo pathways, dTMP then goes through a series of phosphorylations that result in the deoxythymidine triphosphates (dTTP) that are vital in the synthesis of DNA. Deoxynucleotides (dNTPs) are used in the synthesis of DNA, and dTMP is a precursor to one of the dNTPs, dTTP. In cells, dTMP is synthesized into deoxythymidine diphosphate (dTDP) using thymidylate kinase. From dTDP, dTTP is then synthesized using a nucleotide diphosphate kinase. The dTTP that is synthesized from dTMPs are used in DNA synthesis in both the mitochondria and the cytosol.[5] In addition to its role in DNA synthesis, dTTP is also a requisite for DNA repair, thus indicating the importance of dTMP in the synthesis and repair of DNA.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Coghill, Anne M. & Garson, Lorrin R. (eds.) (2006). The ACS style guide: effective communication of scientific information. 3rd ed. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-8412-3999-9.
  2. ^ Elsevier, "Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary", Elsevier
  3. ^ Field, Martha S; Stover, Patrick J; Kisliuk, Roy (2016), "Thymidylate Synthesis", Encyclopedia of Life Sciences, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. 1–7, doi:10.1002/9780470015902.a0001397.pub3. ISBN 978-0-470-01590-2, retrieved 2025-12-09
  4. ^ Mankoff, David A.; Shields, Anthony F.; Krohn, Kenneth A. (2005-01-01). "PET imaging of cellular proliferation". Radiologic Clinics. 43 (1): 153–167. doi:10.1016/j.rcl.2004.09.005. ISSN 0033-8389. PMID 15693654
  5. ^ Chen, Yen-Ling; Eriksson, Staffan; Chang, Zee-Fen (2010-08-27). "Regulation and functional contribution of thymidine kinase 1 in repair of DNA damage". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 285 (35): 27327–27335. doi:10.1074/jbc.M110.137042. ISSN 1083-351X. PMC 2930731. PMID 20554529
  6. ^ Hu, Chun-Mei; Tsao, Ning; Wang, Yi-Ting; Chen, Yu-Ju; Chang, Zee-Fen (2019). "Thymidylate kinase is critical for DNA repair via ATM-dependent Tip60 complex formation". The FASEB Journal. 33 (2): 2017–2025. doi:10.1096/fj.201800856R. ISSN 1530-6860. PMID 30199284