Medical Definition of thymidine kinase
: an enzyme that catalyzes the phosphorylation of thymidine in a pathway leading to DNA synthesis, that is active especially in tissues undergoing growth or regeneration, and that is the key enzyme mediating replication in certain viruses (as the herpesvirus causing herpes simplex)
Learn More About thymidine kinase
Cite this Entry
“Thymidine kinase.” Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/thymidine%20kinase. Accessed 26 Oct. 2021.
Style: MLA
MLA
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Test Your Vocabulary
Farm Idioms Quiz
-
- What does 'poke' refer to in the expression 'pig in a poke'?
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Share thymidine kinase