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.

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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

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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.

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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

Researchers say cancer cells need to run out of pyrimidine building blocks, including uridine nucleotides, before the cells will self-destruct.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2024

When individuals are exposed to UV, pyrimidine dimers, especially those of thymine, are formed; people with xeroderma pigmentosa are not able to repair the damage.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

These bases form complementary base pairs consisting of one purine and one pyrimidine, with adenine pairing with thymine, and cytosine with guanine.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

When he said no, my morale skyrocketed, for I suspected that we now had the answer to the riddle of why the number of purine residues exactly equaled the number of pyrimidine residues.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson