pyrimidine
Meaning of pyrimidine: Pyrimidines are single-ring nitrogen-containing bases, including cytosine, thymine, and uracil, that pair with purines to form the rungs of DNA and RNA.
Definition of pyrimidine
A pyrimidine is one of two chemical classes of nitrogen containing ring compounds, called bases, that cells use to build the genetic material DNA and RNA. Pyrimidines are built around a single ring structure, in contrast to purines, the other class of bases, which are built around two fused rings.
The three pyrimidine bases found in genetic material are cytosine, thymine, and uracil. Cytosine appears in both DNA and RNA, thymine is found specifically in DNA, and uracil takes thymine's place specifically in RNA.
Within DNA and RNA, each pyrimidine base pairs with a specific purine base, cytosine with guanine and thymine or uracil with adenine, and this consistent pairing is what allows genetic information to be copied accurately each time a cell divides or produces RNA.
Used in a sentence
The laboratory report described a mutation involving a pyrimidine base within the gene sequence.
Good to know
Thymine and uracil are easy to confuse since one effectively substitutes for the other, with thymine restricted to DNA and uracil restricted to RNA.