pyrimidine

American  

[pahy-rim-i-deen, pi-, pir-uh-mi-deen, -din] / paɪˈrɪm ɪˌdin, pɪ-, ˈpɪr ə mɪˌdin, -dɪn /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. a heterocyclic compound, C 4 H 4 N 2 , that is the basis of several important biochemical substances.

2. one of several pyrimidine derivatives, especially the bases cytosine, thymine, and uracil, which are fundamental constituents of nucleic acids.

---

pyrimidine British  

/ paɪˈrɪmɪˌdiːn /

noun

1. a liquid or crystalline organic compound with a penetrating odour; 1,3-diazine. It is a weakly basic soluble heterocyclic compound and can be prepared from barbituric acid. Formula: C 4 H 4 N 2

2. Also called: pyrimidine base.  any of a number of similar compounds having a basic structure that is derived from pyrimidine, including cytosine, thymine, and uracil, which are constituents of nucleic acids

---

pyrimidine Scientific  

/ pī-rĭm′ĭ-dēn′ /

1. Any of a group of organic compounds having a single six-member ring in which the first and third atoms are nitrogen and the rest are carbon. Pyrimidines include the bases cytosine, thymine, and uracil, which are components of DNA and RNA. Pyrimidine rings are also components of several larger compounds, such as thiamine and some synthetic barbiturates.

---

Etymology

Origin of pyrimidine

1880–85; blend of pyridine and imide

Example Sentences

Cancer cells must have access to pyrimidine supplies to produce more cancer cells and to produce uridine nucleotides, a primary fuel source for cancer cells as they rapidly reproduce, grow, and die.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2024

Most of the genes they found that were essential to cell survival in low-glucose tumor environments were also involved in pyrimidine synthesis, a precise biological pathway targeted by many chemotherapies.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2024

For example, a certain purine can only pair with a certain pyrimidine.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Transition substitution refers to a purine or pyrimidine being replaced by a base of the same kind; for example, a purine such as adenine may be replaced by the purine guanine.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Neither phosphorus atoms nor the purine and pyrimidine bases were on hand.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson