deoxyribonucleoside

1 definition found

deoxyribonucleoside - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  nucleoside \nucleoside\ n. (Biochem.)
     A type of molecule found in all living organisms, present
     mostly in chemically combined form as a component of nucleic
     acids, and also in smaller amounts in free form, consisting
     of a pentose sugar bound to a purine or pyrimidine base; two
     types of nucleoside, ribonucleoside and
     deoxyribonucleoside, are present. The most common bases
     present in nucleosides are adenine, cytosine, uracil,
     guanine, and thymine, and to a lesser extent hypoxanthine and
     other bases are found. The most commmon ribonucleosides
     composed from these bases are called adenosine, cytidine,
     uridine, and guanosine. The forms esterified with
     orthophosphoric at the 5-position of the pentose are called
     nucleotides. The nucleotides form the monomer units which are
     combined into DNA and RNA, which carry the genetic
     information required for reproduction in all known organisms.
     [PJC]