dATP

Deoxyadenosine triphosphate (dATP) is a deoxyribonucleotide triphosphate that serves as one of the four building blocks for DNA synthesis. Along with dCTP, dGTP, and dTTP, dATP provides the adenine-containing nucleotide for DNA polymerases during replication and repair.

Chemically, it consists of deoxyribose, adenine, and three phosphate groups. As a substrate, it is incorporated into a growing DNA strand by DNA polymerases, which catalyze the formation of phosphodiester bonds.

In cells, dNTP pools are produced by ribonucleotide reductase, which converts ribonucleotide diphosphates to their deoxy forms, followed by kinases that generate the triphosphates. The activity site of ribonucleotide reductase is inhibited by dATP and activated by ATP, regulating total dNTP synthesis; the specificity site influences the balance of dNTPs to optimize replication fidelity.

Laboratories use dATP as a substrate in DNA synthesis reactions, including polymerase chain reaction and sequencing, where it is combined with dCTP, dGTP, and dTTP. Properly balanced dNTP pools are important for polymerase fidelity and efficient amplification.

Imbalances in dNTP levels can increase mutation rates and genome instability, and altered dNTP metabolism is associated with diseases that affect DNA replication and repair.