nucleotide
Definition
- Noun:
- A phosphoric ester of a nucleoside: A nucleotide is an organic molecule consisting of a nucleoside (a nitrogenous base attached to a sugar) linked to a phosphate group.
- The basic structural unit of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA): Nucleotides are the monomeric building blocks that polymerize to form the long chains of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA).
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a crucial nucleotide that stores and transfers energy within cells.
- The sequence of nucleotides in a DNA molecule encodes genetic information.
- RNA polymerase catalyzes the formation of phosphodiester bonds between nucleotides during transcription.
Advanced Usage
- "Nucleotide sequence": The specific order of nucleotides (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, or uracil) in a DNA or RNA strand.
- Scientists analyzed the nucleotide sequence of the viral genome.
- "Nucleotide excision repair": A DNA repair mechanism where a segment of a DNA strand containing a damaged nucleotide is removed and replaced.
- Defects in nucleotide excision repair can lead to diseases like xeroderma pigmentosum.
Variants and Related Words
- Nucleoside (n): A compound consisting of a nitrogenous base (purine or pyrimidine) linked to a sugar (ribose or deoxyribose), but lacking the phosphate group found in a nucleotide.
- Cytidine is a nucleoside composed of cytosine and ribose.
- Oligonucleotide (n): A short polymer of nucleotides, typically used in molecular biology research and techniques.
- Primers for PCR are synthetic oligonucleotides.
Synonyms
- Monomer (for nucleic acids): A molecule that can bind to other identical molecules to form a polymer. (Note: This is a broader, contextual synonym.)
- Unit (structural unit): Referring to its role as the fundamental building block.
Related Phrases and Compounds
- Nucleotide base / Nitrogenous base: The part of a nucleotide (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, uracil) that participates in base pairing.
- The mutation was a change in a single nucleotide base.
- Nucleotide polymorphism: A variation in a single nucleotide at a specific position in the genome.
- Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are common genetic variations.
Related Concepts
- Purine nucleotide: A nucleotide containing a purine base (adenine or guanine).
- Pyrimidine nucleotide: A nucleotide containing a pyrimidine base (cytosine, thymine, or uracil).
- Deoxyribonucleotide: A nucleotide that is a building block of DNA, containing the sugar deoxyribose.
- Ribonucleotide: A nucleotide that is a building block of RNA, containing the sugar ribose.
Noun
-
a phosphoric ester of a nucleoside; the basic structural unit of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA)
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