Base J
Chemical compound
β-D-Glucopyranosyloxymethyluracil or base J is a hypermodified nucleobase found in the DNA of kinetoplastids including the human pathogenic trypanosomes. It was discovered in 1993, in the trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei and was the first hypermodified nucleobase found in eukaryotic DNA; it has since been found in other kinetoplastids, including Leishmania. Within these organisms Base J acts as a RNA polymerase II transcription terminator, with its removal in knockout cells being accompanied by a massive read-through at RNA polymerase II termination sites, which ultimately proves lethal to the cell.
Base J is formed by the initial hydroxylation of thymidine and the subsequent glycosylation by a glycosyltransferase.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Base J”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- D-glucopyranosyloxymethyluracil.svg by Yikrazuul, Public domain
- Synthesis of D-glucopyranosyloxymethyluracil.svg by Yikrazuul, Public domain
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