nucleotide

/ˌnukliəˈtaɪd/

Other forms: nucleotides

Definitions of nucleotide

1. noun

   a phosphoric ester of a nucleoside; the basic structural unit of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA)
   synonyms: base

   types:

   base pair

   one of the pairs of chemical bases joined by hydrogen bonds that connect the complementary strands of a DNA molecule or of an RNA molecule that has two strands; the base pairs are adenine with thymine and guanine with cytosine in DNA and adenine with uracil and guanine with cytosine in RNA

   AMP, adenosine monophosphate, adenylic acid

   a nucleotide found in muscle cells and important in metabolism; reversibly convertible to ADP and ATP

   ADP, adenosine diphosphate

   an ester of adenosine that is converted to ATP for energy storage

   ATP, adenosine triphosphate

   a nucleotide derived from adenosine that occurs in muscle tissue; the major source of energy for cellular reactions

   A, deoxyadenosine monophosphate

   one of the four nucleotides used in building DNA; all four nucleotides have a common phosphate group and a sugar (ribose)

   C, deoxycytidine monophosphate

   one of the four nucleotides used in building DNA; all four nucleotides have a common phosphate group and a sugar (ribose)

   G, deoxyguanosine monophosphate

   one of the four nucleotides used in building DNA; all four nucleotides have a common phosphate group and a sugar (ribose)

   T, deoxythymidine monophosphate

   one of the four nucleotides used in building DNA; all four nucleotides have a common phosphate group and a sugar (ribose)

   muton

   the smallest unit of DNA where a mutation can occur

   U, uracil

   a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine

   type of:

   ester

   formed by reaction between an acid and an alcohol with elimination of water