Adjacent Words

guanine definitions

	Tweet

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a purine base found in DNA and RNA; pairs with cytosine [syn: guanine, G]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: guano + -ine; from its being found especially in guano Date: 1850 a purine base C₅H₅N₅O that codes genetic information in the polynucleotide chain of DNA or RNA — compare adenine, cytosine, thymine, uracil

Britannica Concise

Organic compound of the purine family, often called a base, consisting of two rings, each containing both nitrogen and carbon atoms, and an amino group. It occurs in combined form in many important biological molecules, particularly nucleic acids, and free or combined in various natural sources, incl. guano, sugar beets, yeast, and fish scales. In DNA its complementary base is cytosine. It or its corresponding nucleoside or nucleotide may be prepared from nucleic acids by selective techniques of hydrolysis.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. Biochem. a purine derivative found in all living organisms as a component base of DNA and RNA. Etymology: GUANO + -INE(4)