adenine
Biochemistry. a purine base, C5H5N5, one of the fundamental components of nucleic acids, as DNA, in which it forms a base pair with thymine, and RNA, in which it pairs with uracil. Symbol: A
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Origin of adenine
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use adenine in a sentence
These “nucleobases” — adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil — combine with sugars and phosphates to make up the genetic code of all life on Earth.
All of the bases in DNA and RNA have now been found in meteorites | Liz Kruesi | April 26, 2022 | Science NewsScientists often assume that they should search for guanine, thymine, adenine and cytosine, the bases of DNA as we’ve known it until now.
Some viruses thwart bacterial defenses with a unique genetic alphabet | Tina Hesman Saey | May 5, 2021 | Science Newsadenine and guanine are constituents of all nucleic acids (see below) and, hence, are found in all plant and animal tissues.
The Chemistry of Plant Life | Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher
British Dictionary definitions for adenine
/ (ˈædənɪn, -ˌniːn, -ˌnaɪn) /
a purine base present in tissues of all living organisms as a constituent of the nucleic acids DNA and RNA and of certain coenzymes; 6-aminopurine. Formula: C 5 H 5 N 5; melting pt: 360–365°C
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for adenine
[ ăd′n-ēn′ ]
A purine base that is a component of DNA and RNA, forming a base pair with thymine in DNA and with uracil in RNA. Adenine is also part of other biologically important compounds, such as ATP, NAD, and vitamin B-12, and occurs in tea. Chemical formula: C5H5N5.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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