deoxythymine

Deoxythymine is one of the four nucleobases found in DNA. It is a pyrimidine derivative and is represented by the letter T. In the DNA double helix, deoxythymine always pairs with deoxyadenine via two hydrogen bonds. This specific base pairing is crucial for the faithful replication and storage of genetic information. Deoxythymine is composed of a pyrimidine ring with methyl, ketone, and amine functional groups. The "deoxy" prefix indicates that it is attached to a deoxyribose sugar, forming the deoxythymidine nucleotide. When this nucleotide is incorporated into a DNA strand, it is referred to as deoxythymidylate. Unlike its counterpart deoxyadenine, deoxythymine is not typically found in RNA, where it is replaced by uracil. However, uracil can be formed from deoxythymine through deamination. The presence and precise arrangement of deoxythymine within the DNA sequence dictate the genetic code, encoding the instructions for building and maintaining an organism.