Deoxycytidylate deaminase domain. Deoxycytidylate deaminase catalyzes the deamination of dCMP to dUMP, providing the nucleotide substrate for thymidylate synthase. The enzyme binds Zn++, which is required for catalytic activity. The activity of the enzyme is allosterically regulated by the ratio of dCTP to dTTP not only in eukaryotic cells but also in T-even phage-infected Escherichia coli, with dCTP acting as an activator and dTTP as an inhibitor.