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Updated: Apr 11, 2026

Nucleoside Triphosphates - From Synthesis to Biochemical Characterization
Published on: April 3, 2014
Non-Viral Deoxyribonucleoside Kinases--Diversity and Practical Use
Louise Slot Christiansen1, Birgitte Munch-Petersen2, Wolfgang Knecht3
1Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund 22362, Sweden.
Abstract:
Deoxyribonucleoside kinases (dNKs) phosphorylate deoxyribonucleosides to their corresponding monophosphate compounds. dNks also phosphorylate deoxyribonucleoside analogues that are used in the treatment of cancer or viral infections. The study of the mammalian dNKs has therefore always been of great medical interest. However, during the last 20 years, research on dNKs has gone into non-mammalian organisms. In this review, we focus on non-viral dNKs, in particular their diversity and their practical applications. The diversity of this enzyme family in different organisms has proven to be valuable in studying the evolution of enzymes. Some of these newly discovered enzymes have been useful in numerous practical applications in medicine and biotechnology, and have contributed to our understanding of the structural basis of nucleoside and nucleoside analogue activation.
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