Types of nucleotides can be summarized as follows:

Nitrogen base Adenine Guanine Cytosine Thymine Uracil

Nucleotide in DNA Deoxyadenosine triphosphate (dATP) Deoxyaguanosine triphosphate (dGTP) Deoxycytidine triphosphate (dCTP) Deoxythymidine triphosphate (dTTP) -

Nucleotide in RNA Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) Guanosine triphosphate (GTP) Cytidine triphosphate (CTP) Uritidine triphosphate (UTP)

Pyrimidines

Some have one ring and are similar in structure to the compound pyrimidine and, because of that, they are called the pyrimidines or the pyrimidine bases. There are three of them and they are called cytosine which is found in both DNA and RNA, thymine, which is found only in DNA, and uracil, which is found only in RNA. The abbreviations C, T and Uwill be used extensively to refer to these compounds.

cytosine (C) Purines

thymine (T)

uracil (U)

Some of these heterocyclic bases have two rings like the compound purine and, therefore, they are called the purines or the purine bases. They are adenine and guanine, represented by the letters A and G, and they are both found in DNA and RNA.

adenine (A)

guanine (G)

At very low pH (1 or less) phosphodiester bond hydrolysis occurs accompanied by breakage of the N glycosylic bond between the base and the deoxyribose. At very high pH, DNA is resistant to hydrolysis.

Acid hydrolysis cleaves susceptible purine N-glycosyl bonds in both DNA and RNA. When RNA is boiled in dilute acid, adenine and guanine are released, leaving an apurinic acid which maybe further hydrolyzed to a mixture of pyrimidine nucleotides. The pyrimidines are more resistant to acid hydrolysis. Bond cleavage of the N-glycosyl bonds requires more vigorous conditio0ns like heating with acids in an autoclave or sealed tubes. This would release cytosine and uracil. However, during the process, there is a tendency for cytosine to be deaminated to uracil. Significant hydrolysis of RNA can be obtained by treatment with 1N HCl at 100oC for 1 hour. Base hydrolysis of RNA produces a mixture of 2 and 3 nucleotides of cyclic 2, 3-monophosphate intermediates. These are further hydrolyzed by alkali, which attacks either one of the two P-O-C linkages, to yield a mixture of 2 and 3 nucleoside monophosphates. DNA, on the other hand, is not readily hydrolyzed by dilute alkali because it lacks the 2 hydroxyl group and therefore, cannot form the necessary 2-3 cyclic monophosphate intermediates.