Purines and Pyrimidines

Introduction:

Purines and pyrimidines are the two families of nitrogenous bases that make up nucleic
acids – in other words, they are the building blocks of DNA and RNA

Each DNA strand has a ‘backbone’ that is made up of a sugar-phosphate chain. Attached to
each one of these sugars is a nitrogenous base that is composed of carbon and nitrogen rings.
The number of rings this base has determines whether the base is a purine (two rings) or a
pyrimidine (one ring). The purines on one strand of DNA form hydrogen bonds with the
corresponding pyrimidines on the opposite strand of DNA, and vice versa, to hold the two
strands together. Within DNA molecules, this is their most important function and is known
as base pairing. Because hydrogen bonds are not as strong as covalent bonds, base pairings
can easily be separated, allowing for replication and transcription.
Because purines always bind with pyrimidines – known as complementary pairing – the ratio
of the two will always be constant within a DNA molecule. In other words, one strand of
DNA will always be an exact complement of the other as far as purines and pyrimidines
go.This phenomenon is known as Chargaff’s Rule, named after Irwin Chargaff, who first
noticed it. This complementary pairing occurs because the respective sizes of the bases and
because of the kinds of hydrogen bonds that are possible between them (they pair more
favorably with bases with which they can have the maximum amount of hydrogen bonds).
There are two main types of purine: Adenine and Guanine. Both of these occur in both DNA
and RNA. There are three main types of pyrimidines, however only one of them exists in
both DNA and RNA: Cytosine. The other two are Uracil, which is RNA exclusive,
and Thymine, which is DNA exclusive. One strategy that may help you remember this is to
think of pyrimidines like pyramids that have sharp and pointy tops. So sharp and pointy in
fact, that they might CUT (Cytosine, Uracil, Thymine) you.
Which purines pair with which pyrimidines is always constant, as is the number of hydrogen
bonds between them:

•  ADENINE pairs with THYMINE (A::T) with two hydrogen bonds

•  GUANINE pairs with CYTOSINE (G::C) with three hydrogen bonds
 A purine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound containing 4 nitrogen atoms. It
contains two carbon rings, and is made of a pyrimidine ring fused to an imidazole ring.

Structure of a purine

A pyrimidine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound containing 2 nitrogen atoms.

It contains only one carbon ring.

Structure of a pyrimidine
Purines vs. Pyrimidines

When it comes identifying the main differences between purines and pyrimidines, what
you’ll want to remember is the ‘three S’s’: Structure, Size, and Source.

  Purines Pyrimidines

Double carbon-nitrogen ring with Single carbon-nitrogen ring with two

Structure
four nitrogen atoms nitrogen atoms

Size Bigger Smaller

Cytosine in both DNA and RNA

Adenine and Guanine in both
Source Uracil only in RNA
DNA and RNA
Thymine only in DNA

The purines (adenine and guanine) have a two-ringed structure consisting of a nine-

membered molecule with four nitrogen atoms,

The pyrimidines (cytosine, uracil, and thymine) only have one single ring, which has just six
members and two nitrogen atoms.

Purines Pyrimidines

Purine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic Pyrimidine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic

compound composed of a pyrimidine ring fused compound that is composed of carbon and
with imidazole ring. hydrogen.

It comprises adenine and guanine as nucleobases. It comprises Cytosine, thymine, uracil as

nucleobases

It consists of two hydrogen-carbon rings, nine It consists of one six member hydrogen-
membered with four nitrogen atoms carbon ring with two nitrogen atoms

The melting point of purine is 214 °C The melting point of pyrimidine is 20-22 °C

Catabolism results in the production of uric acid Catabolism produces carbon dioxide, beta-
amino acids and ammonia