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Adenine is one of the two purine bases used in forming nucleotides of the nucleic
acids DNA and RNA. In DNA, adenine (A) binds to thymine (T) to assist in stabilizing the nucleic
acid structures. In RNA, adenine binds to uracil
(U).
Adenine forms adenosine, a nucleoside, when attached to ribose, and deoxyadenosine when attached to deoxyribose, and it forms adenosine
triphosphate (ATP), a nucleotide, when three phosphate groups are added to
adenosine. Adenosine triphosphate is used in cellular metabolism as one of the basic methods of transferring
chemical energy between reactions.
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