NITROGENOUS BASES (PURINE AND PYRIMIDINE), WHAT ARE THEY?

We cannot know what Purine and Pyrimidine are without first of all discussing the structure of DNA, Lets examine the molecule briefly.

DNA

This is a biological molecule that contains the instruction needed for life. the information contained in it are stored in the cell and are passed down from parents to offspring.

This molecule of life is made up of another molecule called NUCLEOTIDE, each nucleotide is made of phosphate group,  a sugar and four nitrogenous base, Adenine(A), Thymine(T), Guanine(G)  and Cytosine (C).

The sequence of these bases is what determines DNA instructions or genetic code just the way alphabets are used to form a word. te order of nitrogenous bases in a DNA sequence forms genes, which instruct a cell on how to make it proteins.

Ribonucleic acid (RNA), on the other hand  translate genetic  information from DNA into proteins.

PURINE AND PYRIMIDINE

Therefore, Purine and Pyrimidine are nitrogenous bases that make up the building block of DNA and RNA  respectively.

In a DNA molecule, these bases forms hydrogen bound with their complimentary pyrimidine Thymine(T) and Cytosine(C) respectively, to form what is known as "complimentary base pairing". compliment of Adenine is Thymine, in DNA and Uracil in RNA.

Other examples of purine are hypoxathine, Xanthine,Caffeune, Uric acid, Isoguanine, Theobromine etc.

Purine and Pyrimidine are important in the synthesis of RNA and DNA, they are also critical in the synthesis of biomolecules such as ATP, GTp, Cyclic AMP, NAD and co-enzymes.

Purine is a complex molecule, it is made up of heterocyclic compound containing pyrimidine which is fused to an Imidiazol ring.