Molecular Conformation of Inosine

INOSINE is one of the rare nucleosides found in nucleic acids. It occurs especially in transfer ribonucleic acid where it appears to form part of a number of anticodons1,2. It can form a base pair with any one of the bases adenine, uracil or cytidine in the third codon1,2 position, and the possibility of atypical base pairs is part of the “wobble” hypothesis2. In addition, the action of mutagenic agents on ribonucleic acid can lead to the conversion of adenosine into inosine.