Thymidine is a pyrimidine nucleoside that is composed of the pyrimidine base thymine attached to the sugar deoxyribose. As a constituent of DNA, thymidine pairs with adenine in the DNA double helix. In cell biology it is used to synchronize the cells in G1/early S phase.
White needle crystal, soluble in methanol, ethanol, DMSO and other organic solvents.
Thymidine can exist in vitro conditions as a solid (as white crystals or as white crystalline powder). Under standard temperature and pressure, the stability of this compound is very high. As a part of DNA structure, thymidine occurs in living organisms (also in DNA viruses). Therefore, it is a non-toxic compound. In RNA, there is uridine instead of thymidine. Uridine is formed from the combination of uracil with ribose sugar. The key difference between thymine and thymidine is that thymine is a nucleobase, whereas thymidine is a nucleoside.
Thymidine is used in the syntheses of active pharmaceutical ingredient such as zidovudine. It also pairs with deoxyadenosine in double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid. It is used to synchronize the cells in G1/early S phase in cell biology.
Constituent of deoxyribonucleic acid. The nucleoside (deoxyriboside) of thymine. Occurs in DNA. It is a nucleoside consisting of one thymine molecule linked to ad-doxyribose sugar molecule.
ChEBI: Thymidine is a pyrimidine 2'-deoxyribonucleoside having thymine as the nucleobase. It has a role as a metabolite, a human metabolite, an Escherichia coli metabolite and a mouse metabolite. It is functionally related to a thymine. It is an enantiomer of a telbivudine.
Some antiviral drugs, especially those targeting retroviruses such as HIV, are thymidine analogs. For example, zidovudine (AZT) is a thymidine analog that can be mistakenly used by viral reverse transcriptase to synthesize DNA, thereby interrupting the viral replication process.
The NUCLEOSIDE formed when thymine is linked to
D-ribose by a β-glycosidic bond.
Thymidine is also referred to as pyrimidine deoxynucleoside. Deoxythymidine is a nucleoside present in DNA. In a DNA double stranded structure, thymidine pairs with deoxyadeninosine.
Thymidine is useful in cell synchronization during S-phase. In the salvage pathway of pyrimidines, pyrimidine phosphorylase reversibly converts thymine to thymidine.
High concentrations of thymidine interrupt the deoxynucleotide metabolism pathway through competitive inhibition, thus blocking DNA replication. A single treatment with thymidine arrests cells throughout S phase, so a double treatment acts to induce a more uniform block in early S phase.
Moderately toxic by
intraperitoneal route. An experimental
teratogen. Experimental reproductive
effects. Human mutation data reported.
When heated to decomposition it emits
toxic fumes of NOx.
Crystallise -thymidine from ethyl acetate, MeOH/Et2O (m 188o) or H2O (as 2H2O m 189o). It is soluble in water and hot organic solvents. The picrate has m 230o (from EtOH).
[1] CARLOS LOPEZ-GOMEZ PHD, PHD Michio H M. Deoxycytidine and Deoxythymidine Treatment for Thymidine Kinase 2 Deficiency[J]. Annals of Neurology, 2017, 81 5: 641-652. DOI:
10.1002/ana.24922
