Nucleic acid nomenclature 89513 196526527 2008-03-07T13:27:01Z 96.227.245.45 [[Image:Numbered cytidine.png|thumb|Numbered [[ribose]] carbons on [[cytidine]].]] [[Molecular biologist]]s use several shorthand terms when referring to [[nucleic acid]] molecules, such as [[DNA]] and [[RNA]], collectively referred to as '''nucleic acid nomenclature'''. The most common is the representation of the [[base pair]]s as letters&mdash;an [[adenine]] [[nucleotide]] is abbreviated as '''A''', [[guanine]] as '''G''', [[cytosine]] as '''C''', [[thymine]] as '''T''', and in RNA, [[uracil]] as '''U'''. Additionally, the positions of the [[carbon]]s in the [[ribose]] sugar that forms the backbone of the nucleic acid chain are numbered, and are used to indicate the direction of nucleic acids (5'->3' versus 3'->5'), ''see [[directionality (molecular biology)|directionality]]''. == See also == * [[DNA replication]] * [[Nucleotide]] {{BranchesofChemistry}} {{Natural sciences-footer}} [[Category:DNA replication]] [[Category:Nucleic acids]] [[Category:Nucleotides]] <!-- Interlanguage links --> [[de:Nukleinsäure-Nomenklatur]]