Uracil

Definition

Uracil is a nitrogenous base found only in RNA. It replaces thymine from DNA and pairs with adenine.

Related terms

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA):

A molecule similar to DNA but contains ribose as its sugar and uses uracil instead of thymine.

Transcription:

The process where genetic information in DNA is rewritten into RNA using base pairing rules, including adenine pairing with uracil.

Messenger RNA (mRNA):

A type of RNA that carries instructions from DNA for controlling the synthesis of proteins.