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Which of the following base pairs would NOT normally be found in a cell?

A) Guanine: Uracil
B) Cytosine: Guanine
C) Adenine: Uracil
D) Adenine: Thymine

1 Answer

1 vote

Final answer:

The base pair Adenine: Guanine would not be found in a cell because base-pairing rules state that adenine pairs with thymine in DNA and with uracil in RNA, while guanine pairs with cytosine.

Step-by-step explanation:

The base pair that would NOT normally be found in a cell is Adenine: Guanine. This pairing is incorrect because, according to the base-pairing rules in DNA, adenine (A) should pair with thymine (T), and guanine (G) should pair with cytosine (C). In RNA, adenine pairs with uracil (U) instead of thymine.

In DNA, a purine always pairs with a pyrimidine. Adenine and guanine are both purines and thymine and cytosine are pyrimidines. Therefore, the correct complementary base pair for adenine in DNA is thymine and for guanine is cytosine. These pairs are stabilized by hydrogen bonds, with adenine and thymine forming two hydrogen bonds, and cytosine and guanine forming three hydrogen bonds.

Lastly, in RNA, uracil takes the place of thymine and pairs with adenine. However, because the question didn't specify RNA and the pairing of adenine with guanine violates the base-pairing rule, we can conclude that the statement 'adenine binds to guanine' is incorrect.

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