Where do dNTP come from? - Chemical or Biological? (May/11/2007 )
thanks for the many replies to this question.
ahmad193 : I don't think it would matter where the dNTPs came from. I just was wondering.
from the data presented here, it does seem that at least some dNTP are harvested from biological sources.
Good point about harvesting DNA to obtain raw materials for making dNTP. I too can't see people making dNTPs from single atoms. It looks a rather complicated molecule to make in large batches.
There is one problem though, even if we do hydrolyse DNA, what we get is monophosphate (dAMP, dTMP, dCMP, cGMP), not the triphosphate. Hmm... perhaps dNTPs are made by a semi sythetic method. DNA extraction followed by hydrolysis to make dNMPs, then a chemical reaction to attach the phosphate chain to the dNMPs to make dNTPs. Could this be the way dNTPs are made?
It sure is odd that it isn't easy to google a define answer.
And strange won't it, if the secret to making dNTPs is to react DNA to phophorus (or some reactive phosphorus compound). Column purify to remove excess phosphate. And that is it all to it. 
well, dNTPs are already pretty cheap...I bet they are really easy to make. if we all knew how, companies would be out a lot of money
I always think it's funny when vendors claim to have a new, improved, 'better' dNTP...to me, there are only two grades: clean enough for PCR, and not clean enough 
If not a chemical reaction, perhaps an enzyme? Although, thinking how complicated the ATP synthase is (and all it does it phosphorylate ADP) it's probably better to use a chemical reaction.
In any case, it would be more complicated than just chewing up the DNA because dNTPs are commonly sold as individual bases! So they need some way to separate them all! Theoretically if you're just using it for PCR though, you could use chewed-up DNA because it would be a pretty good mixture.