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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Nucleoside Triphosphates - From Synthesis to Biochemical Characterization
Published on: April 3, 2014
Quaternary structure of nucleoside diphosphate kinases
L Lascu1, A Giartosio, S Ransac
1Institut de Biochimie et Génétique Cellulaires, UMR 5095 University of Bordeaux-2 and CNRS, France. ioan.lascu@ibgc.u-bordeaux2.fr
Abstract:
Nucleoside (NDP) diphosphate kinases are oligomeric enzymes. Most are hexameric, but some bacterial enzymes are tetrameric. Hexamers and tetramers are constructed by assembling identical dimers. The hexameric structure is important for protein stability, as demonstrated by studies with natural mutants (the Killer-of-prune mutant of Drosophila NDP kinase and the S120G mutant of the human NDP kinase A in neuroblastomas) and with mutants obtained by site-directed mutagenesis. It is also essential for enzymic activity. The function of the tetrameric structure is unclear.
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