adenine
Sign in to saveAdenine (symbol A, or Ade) is a purine nucleotide base that is found in DNA, RNA, and ATP. Usually a white crystalline subtance. The shape of adenine is complementary and pairs to either thymine in DNA or uracil in RNA. In cells adenine, as an independent molecule, is rare. It is almost always covalently bound to become a part of a larger biomolecule.
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Adenine is a chemical building block found in DNA, RNA, and ATP—key molecules that store and use genetic information and energy in cells. It pairs with thymine in DNA or uracil in RNA, and while adenine itself is rarely found alone, it's almost always bonded into larger molecules where it plays an essential role in life's basic functions.
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Article
7 sectionsContents
- Structure
- Biosynthesis
- Function
- History
- Notes
- References
- External links
Adenine (symbol A, or Ade) is a purine nucleotide base that is found in DNA, RNA, and ATP. Usually a white crystalline subtance. The shape of adenine is complementary and pairs to either thymine in DNA or uracil in RNA. In cells adenine, as an independent molecule, is rare. It is almost always covalently bound to become a part of a larger biomolecule.
Adenine has a central role in cellular respiration. It is part of adenosine triphosphate which provides the energy that drives and supports most activities in living cells, such as protein synthesis, chemical synthesis, muscle contraction, and nerve impulse propagation. In respiration it also participates as part of the cofactors nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, flavin adenine dinucleotide, and Coenzyme A.