Definition of "adenine"

adenine

/ˈæ.dəˌniːn/

noun
countable and uncountable, plural adenines
1. (biochemistry, genetics) A base, C5H5N5, found in certain glands and tissues, which pairs with thymine in DNA and uracil in RNA.
  Quotations
  One of these labels is ethenoadenine, which is obtained by chemical modification of adenine.
  2002, Nikolai L. Vekshin, Photonics of Biopolymers‎, page 115
  There are two genes in the adenine biosynthetic pathway of yeast (ADE1 and ADE2) that, apart from producing an absolute requirement for adenine when mutant, also produce a change in colony color.
  2006, David Markie, “1: Markers, Selection, and Media in Yeast Artificial Chromosome Cloning”, in Alasdair MacKenzie, editor, YAC Protocols‎, 2nd edition, page 2
  The HCN pentamer, adenine (a constituent of DNA, RNA and many coenzymes), is one of the most abundant biochemical molecules.
  2010, Debjani Roy, Rogué Schleyer, “6: Chemical Origin of Life: How do Five HCN Molecules Combine to form Adenine under Prebiotic and Interstellar Conditions”, in Chérif F. Matta, editor, Quantum Biochemistry‎, page 202