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What are the 4 nitrogen bases and what do they each pair with?

Author

Matthew Harrington

Updated on January 17, 2026

DNA base pair. Under normal circumstances, the nitrogen-containing bases adenine (A) and thymine (T) pair together, and cytosine (C) and guanine (G) pair together. The binding of these base pairs forms the structure of DNA .

What is the function of nitrogen base?

The nitrogen bases are also called nucleobases because they play a major role as building blocks of the nucleic acids deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA).

Why are the 4 nitrogenous bases important?

These bases are crucially important because the sequencing of them in DNA and RNA is the way information is stored. The letters which form the codons in the genetic code are the A C U G of the bases. The resulting DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) contains no uracil, and RNA(ribonucleic acid) does not contain any thymine.

What is adenine guanine cytosine and thymine?

Adenine and guanine are purine bases. These are structures composed of a 5-sided and 6-sided ring. Cytosine and thymine are pyrimidines which are structures composed of a single six-sided ring. Adenine always binds to thymine, while cytosine and guanine always bind to one another.

What are the four nitrogen base?

Adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine are the four nucleotides found in DNA.

What four nitrogenous bases make up DNA?

Figure 2: The four nitrogenous bases that compose DNA nucleotides are shown in bright colors: adenine (A, green), thymine (T, red), cytosine (C, orange), and guanine (G, blue).

How do you identify a nitrogen base?

Pyrimidines are nitrogenous bases with 1 ring structure, whereas purines are nitrogenous bases with 2 ring structures. Cytosine and thymine are pyrimidines since they both have one ring structure, whereas adenine and guanine are purines with two connected ring structures.

What are the names of the four nitrogen bases?

Nucleic Acids: DNA and RNA Four different types of nitrogenous bases are found in DNA: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G). In RNA, the thymine is replaced by uracil (U).

What is A nitrogenous base in DNA?

Nitrogenous base: A molecule that contains nitrogen and has the chemical properties of a base. The nitrogenous bases in DNA are adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T), and cytosine (C). The nitrogenous bases in RNA are the same, with one exception: adenine (A), guanine (G), uracil (U), and cytosine (C).

What four nitrogenous bases are found in DNA?

Why are the four nitrogen bases of DNA important?

Base pairs occur when nitrogenous bases make hydrogen bonds with each other. Each base has a specific partner: guanine with cytosine, adenine with thymine (in DNA) or adenine with uracil (in RNA). The hydrogen bonds are weak, allowing DNA to ‘unzip’. One may also ask, what are the four nitrogen bases of DNA and what is their importance?

How are nitrogenous bases related to each other?

Base pairs occur when nitrogenous bases make hydrogen bonds with each other. Each base has a specific partner: guanine with cytosine, adenine with thymine (in DNA) or adenine with uracil (in RNA). The hydrogen bonds are weak, allowing DNA to ‘unzip’.

How many nitrogen bases are there in RNA?

1 RNA has four nitrogen bases – Adenine (A), Uracil (U), Cytosine (C), and Guanine (G). 2 We can now observe that why DNA differs from RNA as one nitrogen base is different in both the molecules. 3 Adenine and Guanine are considered as the major building blocks in both RNA and DNA molecules.

What are the four types of nucleotides in DNA?

DNA is made up of molecules called nucleotides. Each nucleotide contains a phosphate group, a sugar group and a nitrogen base. The four types of nitrogen bases are adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G) and cytosine (C).