Tyms - thymidylate synthase

This gene encodes an enzyme that catalyzes the methylation of deoxyuridylate to deoxythymidylate using 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate as a cofactor. This function maintains the thymidine-5-prime monophosphate concentration critical for DNA replication and repair. The encoded enzyme is a target for cancer chemotherapeutic agents. The majority of transcripts for this gene lack a 3' UTR (PMID: 3022294, 3444407). The stop codon in these transcripts is UAA, compared to the UAG found in the genome and longer transcripts, as the polyA site is located within the stop codon (PMID: 3444407, 2157203). A related pseudogene has been identified on chromosome 10. [provided by RefSeq, Mar 2010]