dCMP

dCMP, or deoxycytidine monophosphate, is a nucleotide composed of a deoxyribose sugar, the cytosine base, and a single phosphate group. It is one of the four deoxynucleotides that contribute to the deoxynucleotide pools used in DNA synthesis and repair.

The molecule is structured with a 5' phosphate group linked to the sugar, which is connected to the cytosine base via an N-glycosidic bond to the 1' carbon of the sugar. In metabolism, dCMP is formed by phosphorylation of deoxycytidine via deoxynucleoside kinases, or by phosphorylation from dCDP. It can be interconverted to dCDP and then to dCTP, which are the active substrates for DNA polymerases.

dCMP can also be deaminated to dUMP by dCMP deaminase; dUMP is a precursor to dTMP in the thymidylate biosynthesis pathway, a critical step for maintaining the dTTP pool required for DNA synthesis. This links dCMP to broader pathways of nucleotide interconversion and thymidylate production.

dCMP is present in all cells as part of the intracellular nucleotide pool. Its levels are regulated to balance synthesis, DNA replication, and repair, and to support the proper ratio of deoxynucleotides. In practical terms, dCMP is typically not the direct substrate for DNA polymerases, which incorporate dNTPs such as dCTP and dGTP, but it serves as a precursor that can be converted to the required triphosphates.