DUT (gene)

Deoxyuridine triphosphatase

PDB rendering based on 1q5h.
Identifiers
Symbols DUT; FLJ20622; dUTPase
External IDs OMIM601266 MGI1346051 HomoloGene31475 GeneCards: DUT Gene
EC number 3.6.1.23
RNA expression pattern
More reference expression data
Orthologs
Species Human Mouse
Entrez 1854 110074
Ensembl ENSG00000128951 ENSMUSG00000027203
UniProt P33316 n/a
RefSeq (mRNA) NM_001025248.1 XM_985078
RefSeq (protein) NP_001020419.1 XP_990172
Location (UCSC) Chr 15:
48.62 – 48.64 Mb
Chr 2:
125.07 – 125.08 Mb
PubMed search [1] [2]

DUTP pyrophosphatase, also known as DUT, is an enzyme which in humans is encoded by the DUT gene.[1]

Function

This gene encodes an essential enzyme of nucleotide metabolism. The encoded protein forms a ubiquitous, homotrimeric enzyme that hydrolyzes dUTP to dUMP and pyrophosphate. This reaction serves two cellular purposes: providing a precursor (dUMP) for the synthesis of thymine nucleotides needed for DNA replication, and limiting intracellular pools of dUTP. Elevated levels of dUTP lead to increased incorporation of uracil into DNA, which induces extensive excision repair mediated by uracil glycosylase. This repair process, resulting in the removal and reincorporation of dUTP, is self-defeating and leads to DNA fragmentation and cell death. Alternative splicing of this gene leads to different isoforms that localize to either the mitochondrion or nucleus. A related pseudogene is located on chromosome 19.[1]

References

Further reading