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These purine-pyrimidine pairs, which are called base complements, connect the two strands of the helix and are often compared to the rungs of a ladder. Only pairing purine with pyrimidine ensures a constant width for the DNA. The A–T pairing is based on two hydrogen bonds, while the C–G pairing is based on three.
Pyrimidine (C 4 H 4 N 2; / p ɪ ˈ r ɪ. m ɪ ˌ d iː n, p aɪ ˈ r ɪ. m ɪ ˌ d iː n /) is an aromatic, heterocyclic, organic compound similar to pyridine (C 5 H 5 N). [3] One of the three diazines (six-membered heterocyclics with two nitrogen atoms in the ring), it has nitrogen atoms at positions 1 and 3 in the ring.
Pyrimidine dimers encompass several types, each with distinct structures and implications for DNA integrity. [ citation needed ] Cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) is a dimer which features a four-membered ring formed by the fusion of two double-bonded carbons from adjacent pyrimidines.
Pyrimidine, like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), another carbon-rich compound, may have been formed in red giants or in interstellar dust and gas clouds, according to the scientists. [7] Thymine has not been found in meteorites, which suggests the first strands of DNA had to look elsewhere to obtain this building block.
A diagram of DNA base pairing, demonstrating the basis for Chargaff's rules. Chargaff's rules (given by Erwin Chargaff) state that in the DNA of any species and any organism, the amount of guanine should be equal to the amount of cytosine and the amount of adenine should be equal to the amount of thymine.
The four bases found in DNA are adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T). These four bases are attached to the sugar-phosphate to form the complete nucleotide, as shown for adenosine monophosphate. Adenine pairs with thymine and guanine pairs with cytosine, forming A-T and G-C base pairs. [17] [18]
Purines are complementary only with pyrimidines: pyrimidine–pyrimidine pairings are energetically unfavorable because the molecules are too far apart for hydrogen bonding to be established; purine–purine pairings are energetically unfavorable because the molecules are too close, leading to overlap repulsion.
In 2014, NASA scientists reported that additional complex DNA and RNA organic compounds of life, including uracil, cytosine and thymine, have been formed in the laboratory under outer space conditions, starting with ice, pyrimidine, ammonia, and methanol, which are compounds found in astrophysical environments. [19]