deoksicitidine

Deoxycytidine, also known as 2'-deoxycytidine, is a nucleoside comprising cytosine attached to a 2'-deoxyribose sugar via a β-N1-glycosidic bond. It is one of the building blocks of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and serves as a substrate in DNA synthesis and repair.

In cells, deoxycytidine is involved in the nucleotide salvage pathway. It is phosphorylated by the enzyme deoxycytidine kinase to form deoxycytidine monophosphate (dCMP), which is further phosphorylated to dCDP and then dCTP for incorporation into DNA. Deoxycytidine can also be deaminated to deoxyuridine, which enters further catabolic or salvage routes. Deoxynucleoside levels are linked to the balance of deoxynucleotide pools that are essential for accurate DNA replication and repair.

Deoxycytidine occurs endogenously as a product of DNA turnover and nucleoside transport. Its metabolism and regulation are of interest in studies of nucleotide metabolism, cancer biology, and virology, where salvage pathways influence the effectiveness of nucleoside-based therapies.

Although deoxycytidine itself is a natural metabolite, several deoxycytidine analogs are used in chemotherapy (for example, cytarabine and gemcitabine). These analogs, rather than deoxycytidine itself, disrupt DNA synthesis to exert cytotoxic effects.

In research contexts, deoxycytidine serves as a standard substrate in enzymatic assays of nucleoside kinases and in studies of DNA precursor pools. It can be detected and quantified in biological samples by chromatographic methods such as HPLC or LC-MS.