Dr. Joe and What You Didn't Know by Dr. Joe Schwarcz

Author:Dr. Joe Schwarcz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ecw press

81. The four bases that we find in DNA and that are responsible for its helical structure are adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine. What is the derivation of these names?

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These days, just about everyone knows something about DNA. The press repeatedly uses the term “template of life,” and this is quite accurate because DNA is like a library of information that our cells draw upon to determine which proteins to make.

Proteins make up important structures of the body as well as hormones and the enzymes that govern the body's numerous chemical reactions. DNA is a nucleic acid, composed of pieces called nucleotides, which are strung together like beads on a necklace. Each of these nucleotides harbors a molecule, commonly referred to as a base. The nucleic acid chain is therefore characterized by a particular arrangement of bases, and the sequence of the bases holds genetic information. There are four bases — adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine — and they are named for the source from which they were isolated.

And what's the derivation of those names? Adenine comes from the Greek word for gland, because it was first isolated from the pancreas. Thymine was found in the thymus gland, cytosine was isolated from cells (“cyto” refers to cells), and guanine from bird guano — or bird poop.

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