Nucleic Acid Terminologycontinued
Molecular Diagnostics
(MDx) Review 526
TERM EXPLANATION
Nitrogen bases
Base pairs
Complementary
Pyrimidine
Purine
Phosphodiester bonds
Carbon-nitrogen ring structures attached to 1’C of sugar in DNA & RNA: adenine (A), guanine
(G), cytosine (C), thymine (T), & uracil (U). A, G, C, T are in DNA. U replaces T in RNA. T & U are
similar except that U lacks methyl group.
Purine from 1 strand of nucleic acid & pyrimidine from another strand joined by hydrogen (H) bonds.
A forms 2 H bonds with T or U. G forms 3 H bonds with C.
Opposite or partner base in base pair, e.g., A is complementary to T or U, G is complementary to C.
Nitrogen bases with single C-N ring (C, T, U).
Nitrogen bases with 2 C-N rings (A, G).
Bonds that join nucleotides in nucleic acid. 5’ phosphate group of 1 sugar attaches to 3’ hydroxyl group
of adjacent sugar. A molecule of H 2 O splits off.
