uracilArticle Free Pass uracil, a colourless, crystalline
organic compound of the pyrimidine family that occurs as a
component of ribonucleic acid (RNA), a molecule involved in the
transmission of hereditary characteristics. The RNA molecule
consists of a sequence of nucleotides, each containing a five-
carbon sugar (ribose), a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous
base. Uracil is one of four nitrogenous bases found in the RNA
molecule: uracil and cytosine (derived from pyrimidine) and
adenine and guanine (derived from purine). Deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA) also contains each of these nitrogenous bases, except that
thymine is substituted for uracil. During the synthesis of an
RNA strand from a DNA template (transcription), uracil pairs
only with adenine, and guanine pairs only with cytosine. Uracil
is also a component of several coenzymes that act in conjunction
with enzymes in several processes of carbohydrate metabolism.
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