Uridine-cytidine kinase (UCK), also known as uridine kinase, phosphorylates uridine and cytidine to uridine monophosphate (UMP) and cytidine monophosphate (CMP) []. UCK is the rate-limiting enzyme in the pyrimidine-nucleotide salvage pathway. It also catalyses the phosphorylation of several cytotoxic ribonucleoside analogs that have been investigated for possible use as chemotherapeutic agents for treatment of cancer [, , ].Two UCKs with 70% sequence identity have been reported in human: UCK1 and UCK2. This entry represents UCK1. The biological role of UCK1 remains unknown, as UCK2 is responsible for the majority or uridine and cytidine phosphorylation in cells [, ].
Uridine-cytidine kinase (UCK), also known as uridine kinase, phosphorylates uridine and cytidine to uridine monophosphate (UMP) and cytidine monophosphate (CMP) []. UCK is the rate-limiting enzyme in the pyrimidine-nucleotide salvage pathway. It also catalyses the phosphorylation of several cytotoxic ribonucleoside analogs that have been investigated for possible use as chemotherapeutic agents for treatment of cancer [, , ].Two UCKs with 70% sequence identity have been reported in human: UCK1 and UCK2 []. This entry represents UCK2. UCK2 is responsible for the majority or uridine and cytidine phosphorylation in cells [, ]. It is overexpressed in some cancer cells and could be used as a target for antitumour and antiviral drugs []. The structure of UCK2 has been solved [, ].
