base pair

Synonyms:
  • bp
German: Basenpaar
Japanese: 塩基対

Molecular biology. Term used to describe the size of DNA and RNA. The base pairs are connected by hydrogen bonding between purines and pyrimidines in double stranded nucleic acids. In DNA adenine pairs with thymine and guanine pairs with cytosine. Base pairing leads to the formation of the DNA double helix from two complementary single strands.

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