Three types of experiments have been used to study the metabolism of thymine nucleotides by human cells. (1) Cells were labelled continuously with [3H]thymidine and the incorporation of label into DNA compared with the specific radioactivities of pools of individual thymine nucleotides separated by chromatography on polyethylene-imine-cellulose. (2) Cellular thymine nucleotides were labelled wi...

A linear UV dose response is demonstrated using an ELISA assay that measures thymine dimers formed in the genomic DNA extracted from mixed species of microorganisms filtered treated pre-disinfection drinking water.

Human polymerase kappa (polkappa), the product of the human POLK (DINB1) gene, is a member of the Y superfamily of DNA polymerases that support replicative bypass of chemically modified DNA bases (Ohmori, H., Friedberg, E. C., Fuchs, R. P., Goodman, M. F., Hanaoka, F., Hinkle, D., Kunkel, T. A., Lawrence, C. W., Livneh, Z., Nohmi, T., Prakash, L., Prakash, S., Todo, T., Walker, G. C., Wang, Z.,...

A novel minimal motif (Motif2) for left-handed G-quadruplex (LHG4) formation has been discovered, highlighting the role of split guanines and single thymine loops in promoting LHG4 structures.

Colorimetric detection of mercury ions (Hg(2+)) with the naked eye was accomplished within 1 min by a combination of non-crosslinking aggregation of double-stranded DNA-carrying gold nanoparticles and complex formation of thymine-Hg(2+)-thymine.

The biochemistry of vitamin Biz has been the subject of several recent reviews (1, 2, 3). Evidence currently available indicates that the vitamin is required for the reduction of formate to methionine and choline methyl. Indirect evidence implicates vitamin Biz in thymine biosynthesis. Thymine will replace the Blz requirements in certain microorganisms (3) and will induce a reticulocyte respons...