Are Minor Bases and Nucleosides the Same Thing

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the relationship between minor bases and nucleosides, exploring whether they are the same entity within the context of biochemistry. The scope includes conceptual clarifications and technical explanations related to nucleobases, nucleosides, and nucleotides.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that minor base nucleosides can be considered the same thing in certain contexts.
  • Others clarify that "minor base" refers to nucleobases that are not among the primary bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, or uracil), indicating a distinction between minor bases and nucleosides.
  • A nucleoside is defined as a combination of a nucleobase and a sugar, while a nucleotide includes a phosphate group, leading to the formation of nucleic acids.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether minor bases and nucleosides are the same, with some suggesting a conditional similarity while others emphasize a clear distinction.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not resolve the nuances of definitions and relationships between minor bases, nucleosides, and nucleotides, leaving some assumptions and conditions unaddressed.

samy4408
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Hello , is minor bases and Nucleoside the same thing ?
 
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samy4408 said:
Hello , is minor bases and Nucleoside the same thing ?
Wiki has a stack on this, plus you have a decent biochem textbook?
 
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In brief:

There are minor base nucleosides. So, in a fashion, they can be the same thing.

Otherwise: No.
 
"Minor base" simply refers to the fact that the nucleobase isn't adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, or uracil. Other purines and pyrimidines occur in the body, but to a much lower extent than the main ones you find in DNA and RNA.

A nucleoside is what you get when you bind a nucleobase to a sugar (ribose in the case of RNA and deoxyribose in the case of DNA). And a nucleotide is what happens when that nucleoside is bound to a phosphate group. The polymerization of this phosphate/sugar backbone gives you nucleic acids.
 
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