Wobble base pair

<p>A wobble base pair is a pairing between two <a href="/facts/Nucleotides/pQKEwlJI">nucleotides</a> in <a href="/facts/RNA/HxPeNfNj">RNA</a> molecules that does not follow Watson–Crick <a href="/facts/Base_pair/xmPpPQ9W">base pair</a> rules. The four main wobble base pairs are <a href="/facts/Guanine/hoTSpz0x">guanine</a>–<a href="/facts/Uracil/KUAcYYpQ">uracil</a> (G–U), <a href="/facts/Hypoxanthine/QIyA0sQr">hypoxanthine</a>–<a href="/facts/Uracil/KUAcYYpQ">uracil</a> (I–U), <a href="/facts/Hypoxanthine/QIyA0sQr">hypoxanthine</a>–<a href="/facts/Adenine/PSeDFBnl">adenine</a> (I–A), and <a href="/facts/Hypoxanthine/QIyA0sQr">hypoxanthine</a>–<a href="/facts/Cytosine/JW20j33u">cytosine</a> (I–C). In order to maintain consistency of nucleic acid nomenclature, "I" is used for hypoxanthine because hypoxanthine is the <a href="/facts/Nucleobase/zj1Vl9Qh">nucleobase</a> of <a href="/facts/Inosine/TSjq4XxS">inosine</a>;
nomenclature otherwise follows the names of nucleobases and their corresponding nucleosides (e.g., "G" for both guanine and <a href="/facts/Guanosine/P7YVKuzy">guanosine</a> – as well as for <a href="/facts/Deoxyguanosine/aUML2Xlh">deoxyguanosine</a>). The thermodynamic stability of a wobble base pair is comparable to that of a Watson–Crick base pair. Wobble base pairs are fundamental in RNA <a href="/facts/Nucleic_acid_secondary_structure/qXjlsFK5">secondary structure</a> and are critical for the proper translation of the <a href="/facts/Genetic_code/zUK0bY1B">genetic code</a>.
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Wobble base pair open-in-new

Wobble base pair