Deoxyuridine
Encyclopedia
Deoxyuridine is a compound and a nucleoside
. It is similar in chemical structure to uridine
, but without the 2'-hydroxyl group.
Idoxuridine
and Trifluridine
are variants of deoxyuridine used as antiviral drug
s. They are similar enough to be incorporated as part of DNA replication
, but they possess side groups on the uracil
component (an iodine
and a CF3 group, respectively), that prevent base pair
ing.
Nucleoside
Nucleosides are glycosylamines consisting of a nucleobase bound to a ribose or deoxyribose sugar via a beta-glycosidic linkage...
. It is similar in chemical structure to uridine
Uridine
Uridine is a molecule that is formed when uracil is attached to a ribose ring via a β-N1-glycosidic bond.If uracil is attached to a deoxyribose ring, it is known as a deoxyuridine....
, but without the 2'-hydroxyl group.
Idoxuridine
Idoxuridine
Idoxuridine is an anti-herpesvirus antiviral drug.It is a nucleoside analogue, a modified form of deoxyuridine, similar enough to be incorporated into viral DNA replication, but the iodine atom added to the uracil component blocks base pairing. It is used only topically due to...
and Trifluridine
Trifluridine
Trifluridine is an anti-herpesvirus antiviral drug, used primarily on the eye. It was sold under the trade name, Viroptic, by Glaxo Wellcome, now merged into GlaxoSmithKline...
are variants of deoxyuridine used as antiviral drug
Antiviral drug
Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used specifically for treating viral infections. Like antibiotics for bacteria, specific antivirals are used for specific viruses...
s. They are similar enough to be incorporated as part of DNA replication
DNA replication
DNA replication is a biological process that occurs in all living organisms and copies their DNA; it is the basis for biological inheritance. The process starts with one double-stranded DNA molecule and produces two identical copies of the molecule...
, but they possess side groups on the uracil
Uracil
Uracil is one of the four nucleobases in the nucleic acid of RNA that are represented by the letters A, G, C and U. The others are adenine, cytosine, and guanine. In RNA, uracil binds to adenine via two hydrogen bonds. In DNA, the uracil nucleobase is replaced by thymine.Uracil is a common and...
component (an iodine
Iodine
Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The name is pronounced , , or . The name is from the , meaning violet or purple, due to the color of elemental iodine vapor....
and a CF3 group, respectively), that prevent base pair
Base pair
In molecular biology and genetics, the linking between two nitrogenous bases on opposite complementary DNA or certain types of RNA strands that are connected via hydrogen bonds is called a base pair...
ing.