Which bases pair together in dna

Macromolecule : A polymer that has a large macro molecular mass. There are four main types in organisms: carbohydrates , proteins , lipids , and nucleic acids.

Nucleotides : The monomers of nucleic acids. Made up of a nitrogen group, a phosphorus group, and a 5- carbon ring. Nucleic Acid : Complex polymer that stores genetic information in a cell in the form of a code. This video offers a short explanation of what DNA's four nitrogenous bases are and what rules they use to pair together when forming DNA's characteristic double helix.

DNA is made up of chains of nucleotides. Each nucleotide is made of a sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base. There are four different nucleotides in the DNA molecule and each one is characterized by its nitrogenous base. The four nitrogenous bases are A, T, C, and G. They stand for adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. The four different bases pair together in a way known as complementary pairing.

Adenine always pairs with thymine, and cytosine always pairs with guanine. The pairing nature of DNA is useful because it allows for easier replication. If you know one side of a DNA molecule, you can always recreate the other side. Each base has only one other base it can pair with. The double helix structure of the DNA molecule places the four nitrogenous bases on the inside of the molecule.

This protects them from any type of damage that could alter their order. Brody, Ph. Featured Content. Introduction to Genomics. Polygenic Risk Scores. Pediatric Supportive Care. Rare Cancers of Childhood Treatment. Childhood Cancer Genomics. Study Findings. Metastatic Cancer Research. Intramural Research. Extramural Research. Cancer Research Workforce. Partners in Cancer Research.

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Budget Proposal. Stories of Cancer Research. They always pair up in a particular way, called complementary base pairing:. These basic units are linked together to form strands by strong bonds between the deoxyribose sugar of one nucleotide and the phosphate of the next nucleotide. These strong bonds form a sugar-phosphate backbone.