base pair

base pair, in molecular biology, two complementary nitrogenous molecules that are connected by hydrogen bonds. Base pairs are found in double-stranded DNA and RNA, where the bonds between them connect the two strands, making the double-stranded structures possible. Base pairs themselves are formed from bases, which are complementary nitrogen-rich organic compounds known as purines or pyrimidines. According to Watson-Crick base-pairing, which forms the basis for the helical configuration of double-stranded DNA, DNA contains four bases: the two purines adenine (A) and guanine (G) and the two pyrimidines cytosine (C) and thymine (T). Within the DNA molecule, A bonds only with T and C bonds only with G. In RNA, thymine is replaced by uracil (U). Non-Watson-Crick base-pairing models display alternative hydrogen-bonding patterns; examples are Hoogsteen base pairs, which are A-T or C-G analogues.

Base pairs often are used to measure the size of an individual gene within a DNA molecule. The total number of base pairs is equal to the number of nucleotides in one of the strands (each nucleotide consists of a base pair, a deoxyribose sugar, and a phosphate group). With extremely complex genomes, the detailing of base pairs can be complicated. The human genome, for example, is made up of an estimated three billion base pairs, with about 20,000 to 25,000 distinct genes. For dealing with those large numbers, scientists use measures such as kilobase pair (kb, or kbp), which is equivalent to 1,000 base pairs; megabase pair (Mb), which is equivalent to one million base pairs; and gigabase pair (Gb), which is equivalent to one billion base pairs.