deoxyribonucleic acid

Examples of deoxyribonucleic acid in the following topics:

• Viral Size

  • The nucleic acid carries the virus's genome—its collection of genes—and may consist of either deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA).
  • The protein capsid provides protection for the nucleic acid and may contain enzymes that enable the virus to enter its appropriate host cell.
  • The amount and arrangement of the proteins and nucleic acid of viruses determine their size and shape.
  • The protein and nucleic acid constituents have properties unique for each class of virus; when assembled, they determine the size and shape of the virus for that specific class.
  • Shapes of viruses are predominantly of two kinds: rods, or filaments, so called because of the linear array of the nucleic acid and the protein subunits; and spheres, which are actually 20-sided (icosahedral) polygons.

• Nature of the Virion

  • A virion is an entire virus particle consisting of an outer protein shell called a capsid and an inner core of nucleic acid (either ribonucleic or deoxyribonucleic acid—RNA or DNA).
  • The nucleic acid is densely coiled within.
  • Other virions have a capsid consisting of an irregular number of surface spikes, with the nucleic acid loosely coiled within.
  • Virions of most plant viruses are rod-shaped; the capsid is a naked cylinder (lacking a fatty membrane) within which lies a straight or helical rod of nucleic acid.
  • Proteins associated with nucleic acid are known as nucleoproteins, and the association of viral capsid proteins with viral nucleic acid is called a nucleocapsid.

• Discovery of DNA

  • Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a molecule that carries most of the genetic instructions used in the development, functioning and reproduction of all known living organisms and many viruses.
  • DNA is a nucleic acid; alongside proteins and carbohydrates, nucleic acids are one of the three major macromolecules essential for all known forms of life.

• Chromosomes and Genes

  • DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, determines whether our eyes are blue or brown, how tall we will be, and even our preference for certain types of behavior.
  • Known as our "genetic code," it is shaped like a double helix, made of sequences of nucleic acids attached to a sugar phosphate backbone.

• DNA and RNA

  • DNA and RNA are nucleic acids that carry out cellular processes, especially the regulation and expression of genes.
  • The two main types of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA).
  • The other type of nucleic acid, RNA, is mostly involved in protein synthesis.
  • Describe the structure of nucleic acids and the types of molecules that contain them

• Types of RNA

  • RNA is the nucleic acid that makes proteins from the code provided by DNA through the processes of transcription and translation.
  • The two main types of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA).
  • The other type of nucleic acid, RNA, is mostly involved in protein synthesis.
  • Each possible three letter arrangement of A,C,U,G (e.g., AAA, AAU, GGC, etc) is a specific instruction, and the correspondence of these instructions and the amino acids is known as the "genetic code."
  • The ribosome acts like a giant clamp, holding all of the players in position, and facilitating both the pairing of bases between the messenger and transfer RNAs, and the chemical bonding between the amino acids.

• History of DNA Research

  • Two categories of macromolecules are important in molecular biology: 1) nucleic acids, among which the most famous is deoxyribonucleic acid (or DNA), the constituent of genes, and 2) proteins, which are the active agents of living organisms.
  • In 1889, his pupil, Richard Altmann, named it "nucleic acid. " This substance was found to exist only in the chromosomes.

• Variations in Size and Number of Genes

  • Genetic diversity at its most elementary level is represented by differences in the sequences of nucleotides (adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine) that form the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) within the cells of the organism.

• Levels of Organization of Living Things

  • An example of a macromolecule is deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) , which contains the instructions for the structure and functioning of all living organisms.

• The Primary Structure of DNA

  • Unlike proteins, nucleic acids contained no sulfur.
  • To reflect the unusual sugar component, chromosomal nucleic acids are called deoxyribonucleic acids, abbreviated DNA.
  • Analogous nucleic acids in which the sugar component is ribose are termed ribonucleic acids, abbreviated RNA.
  • The acidic character of the nucleic acids were moiety attributed to the phosphoric acid moiety.
  • From this evidence, nucleic acids may be formulated as alternating copolymers of phosphoric acid (P) and nucleosides (N), as shown: