Thymidine kinase

The protein thymidine kinase is an enzyme important for the metabolism of thymidine, which phosphorylates thymidine to form thymidine-5 monophosphate (TMP).

The gene encoding the protein is highly conserved and is expressed in almost all eukaryotic cells.

The thymidine kinase enables the cells to reuse thymidine, which is derived from the degradation of nucleic acids.

The enzyme is involved in the incorporation of the nucleoside (basic building block of nucleic acid) thymidine into DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).

In malignant diseases of the haematopoietic system that are characterized by high cell division rates, the determination of thymidine kinase can be used as a tumor marker.