depyrimidination

Noun.  (context, chemistry) A process in which the chemical bond linking a pyrimidine (cytosine or thymine) to a deoxyribose sugar breaks spontaneously. It occurs at a lower rate compared to depurination with only 500 cytosine and thymine bases lost per cell per day in a typical mammalian cell.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.