MutT homolog-1 (MTH1), also known as NUDIX (nucleoside diphosphate-linked moiety X)) motif 1/Nudt1, is a member of the NUDIX hydrolase superfamily. MTH1, the mammalian counterpart of MutT, hydrolyzes oxidized purine nucleoside triphosphates, such as 8-oxo-dGTP and 2-hydroxy-ATP, to monophosphates, thereby preventing the incorporation of such oxygen radicals during replication. This is an important step in the repair mechanism in genomic and mitochondrial DNA. Like other members of the NUDIX family, it requires a divalent cation, such as Mg2+ or Mn2+, for activity, and contain the NUDIX motif, a highly conserved 23-residue block (GX5EX7REUXEEXGU, where U = I, L or V), that functions as a metal binding and catalytic site. MTH1 is predominantly localized in the cytoplasm and mitochondria. Structurally, this enzyme adopts a similar fold to MutT despite low sequence similarity outside the conserved NUDIX motif. The most distinctive structural difference between MutT and MTH1 is the presence of a beta-hairpin, which is absent in MutT. This results in a much deeper and narrower substrate binding pocket. Mechanistically, MTH1 contains dual specificity for nucleotides that contain 2-OH-adenine bases and those that contain 8-oxo-guanine bases.
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