Organic Chemical
pyrimidine dimer
[ pahy-rim-i-deen, pi-, pir-uh-mi-deen, -din dahy-mer ]
Subclass of:
Pyrimidine Nucleotides; Oligonucleotides
Definitions related to pyrimidine dimers:
  • A pair of pyrimidine bases (thymine or cytosine in DNA or uracil in double-stranded RNA) within a nucleic acid covalently linked by a cyclobutane ring, the formation of which was induced by exposure to ultraviolet radiation. The presence of pyrimidine dimers inhibits DNA replication; improper repair of these lesions promotes DNA mutagenesis.
    NCI Thesaurus
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Covalently linked adjacent pyrimidine bases (usually thymidine) on a strand of DNA produced by UV light or other radiation; the mutation blocks both transcription and replication until excised and repaired.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • Dimers found in DNA chains damaged by ULTRAVIOLET RAYS. They consist of two adjacent PYRIMIDINE NUCLEOTIDES, usually THYMINE nucleotides, in which the pyrimidine residues are covalently joined by a cyclobutane ring. These dimers block DNA REPLICATION.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
  • (cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer) A dimer consisting of two adjacent pyrimidines covalently jointed by a cyclobutane ring, inhibiting DNA replication.
    NCI Thesaurus
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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