guanine

noun

gua·​nine ˈgwä-ˌnēn How to pronounce guanine (audio)
: a purine base C5H5N5O that codes genetic information in the polynucleotide chain of DNA or RNA compare adenine, cytosine, thymine, uracil

Examples of guanine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The molecules are called bases and are represented by the letters A (adenine), T (thymine), G (guanine), and C (cytosine). IEEE Spectrum, 22 Feb. 2016 Each floor, called a tetrad, has a guanine (G) base on all four corners. Breanna Draxler, Discover Magazine, 27 Jan. 2014 Just four molecules make up all of our genes: Adenine (A), which can only pair with thymine (T), and cytosine (C), which can only pair with guanine (G). Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2020 The top layer of chameleon skin contains guanine crystals arranged in a lattice. Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 13 Mar. 2015 Four chemical bases — adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine — bond with hydrogen to make base pairings. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 15 Apr. 2022 Adenine bonds with thymine, and cytosine bonds with guanine. Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2023 Huntington’s disease is caused by over-amplification of nucleotide repeat sequence CAG (cytosine-adenine-guanine) in the the gene huntingtin, causing the pathology. Charlotte Hu, Discover Magazine, 13 Feb. 2018 Rather than inducing random changes in the virus’ RNA genome, the drug is more likely to cause specific nucleic acid substitutions, with guanine switching to adenine and cytosine to uracil. Byrobert F. Service, science.org, 1 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'guanine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

guano + -ine; from its being found especially in guano

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of guanine was in 1850

Dictionary Entries Near guanine

Cite this Entry

“Guanine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guanine. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

guanine

noun
gua·​nine ˈgwän-ˌēn How to pronounce guanine (audio)
: a purine base that codes genetic information in DNA and RNA compare adenine, cytosine, thymine, uracil

Medical Definition

guanine

noun
gua·​nine ˈgwän-ˌēn How to pronounce guanine (audio)
: a purine base C5H5N5O that codes genetic information in the polynucleotide chain of DNA or RNA compare adenine, cytosine, thymine, uracil

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