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The chemical structure of DNA base-pairs . A base pair (bp) is a fundamental unit of double-stranded nucleic acids consisting of two nucleobases bound to each other by hydrogen bonds. They form the building blocks of the DNA double helix and contribute to the folded structure of both DNA and RNA.
A complementary strand of DNA or RNA may be constructed based on nucleobase complementarity. [2] Each base pair, A = T vs. G ≡ C, takes up roughly the same space, thereby enabling a twisted DNA double helix formation without any spatial distortions. Hydrogen bonding between the nucleobases also stabilizes the DNA double helix. [3]
This arrangement of two nucleotides binding together across the double helix (from six-carbon ring to six-carbon ring) is called a Watson-Crick base pair. DNA with high GC-content is more stable than DNA with low GC-content. A Hoogsteen base pair (hydrogen bonding the 6-carbon ring to the 5-carbon ring) is a rare variation of base-pairing. [26]
DNA and RNA also contain other (non-primary) bases that have been modified after the nucleic acid chain has been formed. In DNA, the most common modified base is 5-methylcytosine (m 5 C). In RNA, there are many modified bases, including those contained in the nucleosides pseudouridine (Ψ), dihydrouridine (D), inosine (I), and 7-methylguanosine ...
The double helical structures of DNA or RNA are generally known to have base pairs between complementary bases, Adenine:Thymine (Adenine:Uracil in RNA) or Guanine:Cytosine. They involve specific hydrogen bonding patterns corresponding to their respective Watson-Crick edges, and are considered as Canonical Base Pairs.
A purine base always pairs with a pyrimidine base (guanine (G) pairs with cytosine (C) and adenine (A) pairs with thymine (T) or uracil (U)). DNA's secondary structure is predominantly determined by base-pairing of the two polynucleotide strands wrapped around each other to form a double helix. Although the two strands are aligned by hydrogen ...
Some DNA- or RNA-binding enzymes can recognize specific base pairing patterns that identify particular regulatory regions of genes. Hydrogen bonding is the chemical mechanism that underlies the base-pairing rules described above. Appropriate geometrical correspondence of hydrogen bond donors and acceptors allows only the "right" pairs to form ...
DNA replication. The two base-pair complementary chains of the DNA molecule allow replication of the genetic instructions. The "specific pairing" is a key feature of the Watson and Crick model of DNA, the pairing of nucleotide subunits. [5] In DNA, the amount of guanine is equal to cytosine and the amount of adenine is equal to thymine. The A:T ...