dGMP

dGMP, or deoxyguanosine monophosphate, is one of the four deoxyribonucleoside monophosphates that serve as building blocks for DNA. It consists of a deoxyribose sugar attached to a guanine base and a single phosphate group. In DNA synthesis, dGMP is phosphorylated to higher nucleotides and incorporated into the growing DNA strand by DNA polymerases.

Chemically, dGMP has a deoxyribose sugar, the purine base guanine, and a 5'-monophosphate. Like other deoxyribonucleotide monophosphates, it participates in a dynamic pool of nucleotides that are interconverted by kinases and phosphatases to meet the demands of DNA replication and repair.

Biosynthesis and metabolism of dGMP occur through both de novo and salvage pathways. In de novo purine biosynthesis, GMP can be produced and then reduced to the corresponding deoxynucleotide form via ribonucleotide reductase and subsequent kinases. In the salvage pathway, guanine is converted to GMP by hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT); GMP is then phosphorylated to GDP and, via ribonucleotide reductase, reduced to dGDP and ultimately to dGTP for DNA synthesis. Interconversion among dGMP, dGDP, and dGTP is mediated by nucleoside and nucleotide kinases and phosphatases to maintain balanced dNTP pools.

In cellular biology, dGMP is a precursor for dGTP, which is required for DNA replication and repair. Proper regulation of its level, along with other dNTPs, is critical for genome stability; disturbances can lead to mutagenesis or cytotoxicity. dGMP also features in biochemical assays and studies of nucleotide metabolism.