Thymidine kinase 1(TK1) belongs to the thymidine kinase family. It is located in the cytoplasm, and phosphorylated on Ser-13 in mitosis during post-translational modification. Two forms of this protein have been identified in animal cells, one in cytosol TK1 and one in mitochondria TK2. Thymidine kinases have a key function in the synthesis of DNA and thereby in cell division, as they are part of the unique reaction chain to introduce deoxythymidine into the DNA. Activity of the cytosolic enzyme is high in proliferating cells and peaks during the S-phase of the cell cycle, while it is very low in resting cells. TK1 acts as a homotetramer, and can transform thymidime to thymidine 5-phosphate with the help of ATP
