Phosphate bond hydrolysis by NUDT proteins

Phosphate bond hydrolysis by NUDT proteins Enzymes that belong to the NUDT (Nudix) superfamily catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphodiester bonds in molecules including nucleoside triphosphates and diphosphates and nucleotide sugars. Family members are defined by the presence of an amino acid sequence motif shared with the E. coli MutT gene product, and are involved in diverse physiological processes (Mildvan et al. 2005; McLennan 2006).The hydrolysis of nucleoside di and triphosphates whose purine bases have been oxidized, deaminated, or methylated may protect the cell from the mutational damage that would occur if modified deoxyribonucleotides were incorporated into DNA and from the aberrant protein synthesis that would occur if modified ribonucleotides were incorporated into mRNA (Iyama et al. 2010; Takagi et al. 2012). The hydrolysis of ADP ribose may prevent the aberrant spontaneous ADP ribosylation of cellular proteins that could occur were this molecule to accumulate to high levels in the cell (Perraud et al. 2003; Shen et al. 2003).