Substrate Specificity Diversity of Human Terminal Deoxynucleotidyltransferase May Be a Naturally Programmed Feature Facilitating Its Biological Function.

ABSTRACT: Terminal 2'-deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) is a unique enzyme capable of catalysing template-independent elongation of DNA 3' ends during V(D)J recombination. The mechanism controlling the enzyme's substrate specificity, which is necessary for its biological function, remains unknown. Accordingly, in this work, kinetic and mutational analyses of human TdT were performed and allowed to determine quantitative characteristics of individual stages of the enzyme-substrate interaction, which overall may ensure the enzyme's operation either in the distributive or processive mode of primer extension. It was found that conformational dynamics of TdT play an important role in the formation of the catalytic complex. Meanwhile, the nature of the nitrogenous base significantly affected both the dNT

SUBMITTER: Kuznetsova AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10815903 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature