Do you have any memory tricks for DNA & RNA nitrogen bases?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Good day:

Do any of you have any memory tricks you use for remembering the make up of DNA and RNA specifically the nitrogen bases?

Thank you.

pyrimidines - CUT PY

The two circle letters go together C & G

The two stick letters go together A & T

"U" know that Uracil replaces T in RNA

Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Thank you both!

The two circle letters go together C & G

The two stick letters go together A & T

"U" know that Uracil replaces T in RNA

That's how I remember it! Odd, maybe, but when I see it written on the test I can see the C and G fit together.

YouTube has some great videos. I just remember what letters go together like others have posted but sometimes remembering it visually helps me.

Not sure how much detail you want, but these can help you recognize the structures:

Adenine - Begins with A, has a Amine group (both start with "A")

Guanine - "ON the Guan" - contains O and H2N

Thymine - Only one with methyl group ("thy" in both)

Uracil - U makes an OO sound, represented by 2 double-bonded Os.

Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

I just remember Colgate like the toothpaste, and and then the order they are in.

My teacher taught us "I like to look AT George Clooney"

Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Thank you all.

My Biology teacher taught us (and it helped me tremendously):

Pyrimadines (think of pyramids of Turks & Cairo) T & C

Purines (think All Gold is pure) A & G

for the bonds they make think ----- Gee I see three (G to C has 3 bonds) if you can remember that you can remember that the other is only 2.

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