Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms

Guanine

Guanine (G) is one of four chemical bases in DNA, with the other three being adenine (A), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Within the DNA molecule, guanine bases located on one strand form chemical bonds with cytosine bases on the opposite strand. The sequence of four DNA bases encodes the cell's genetic instructions.

Narration Transcription

Guanine is one of the building blocks of DNA. It's the G in the A, C, G, or T. Guanine in the double helix pairs with cytosine, so you will see CG pairs; one on one strand and one on the other. And the CG pairs happen to bind more tightly than the AT pairs, so long stretches of CG make stronger helixes than stretches of AT.

Doctor Profile

Name: Lawrence C. Brody, Ph.D.

Occupation: Chief & Senior Investigator, Genome Technology Branch; Head, Molecular Pathogenesis Section

Biography: Dr. Brody investigates the genetics of breast cancer and neural tube defects. As chief of the NHGRI Genome Technology Branch's Molecular Pathogenesis section, he is interested in studying genetic mutations that lead to perturbations in normal metabolic pathways and cause disorders such as cancer and birth defects. His laboratory investigates mutations in two breast cancer-linked genes, breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2). Dr. Brody's laboratory was among the first to report that women carrying BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations have a higher risk of developing both breast and ovarian cancer than women without such mutations.