Deoxyguanosine monophosphate

Deoxyguanosine monophosphate (dGMP), also known as deoxyguanylic acid, is a nucleotide that is used in the synthesis of DNA. It is a derivative of the nucleoside deoxyguanosine, with a phosphate group attached to the sugar moiety.

Structure and properties

dGMP consists of a guanine base, a deoxyribose sugar, and a phosphate group. The guanine base is a purine, consisting of a six-membered and a five-membered nitrogen-containing ring fused together. The deoxyribose sugar is a five-carbon sugar, which differs from the sugar in ribonucleotides by the absence of a hydroxyl group at the 2' position. The phosphate group is attached to the 5' position of the sugar.

Synthesis and metabolism

dGMP is synthesized from guanosine monophosphate (GMP) by the enzyme ribonucleotide reductase. This enzyme catalyzes the reduction of the hydroxyl group at the 2' position of the sugar, resulting in the formation of dGMP.

dGMP can be phosphorylated to deoxyguanosine diphosphate (dGDP) and deoxyguanosine triphosphate (dGTP) by the enzymes nucleoside diphosphate kinase and nucleoside monophosphate kinase, respectively. These higher-energy molecules are used in the synthesis of DNA.

dGMP can also be deaminated to deoxyadenosine monophosphate (dAMP) by the enzyme deoxyguanosine deaminase.

Role in DNA synthesis

dGMP, in its triphosphate form (dGTP), is used in the synthesis of DNA. It pairs with cytosine in the complementary DNA strand, forming three hydrogen bonds.

See also

• Nucleotide
• DNA
• Deoxyribonucleotide
• Guanine
• Deoxyribose