Definition
Components of DNA or RNA. In DNA there are four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T) and cytosine (C). In RNA the bases are identical except for thymine which is replaced with uracil (U).
Use in clinical context
The order of bases in a gene determines the order of amino acids in a protein. Changes to the bases can result in changes to the amino acids and the resulting protein function. In some cases, this may lead to the development of health conditions.
Related terms
Amino acids | Gene | Protein
base
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