DNA is a nucleic acid that stores all necessary information to control cellular activity, including specialization of cells and arrangement of tissues into organs.
DNA is also responsible for controlling the synthesis of proteins, which will be discussed in more detail at a later stage.
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid and a molecule that stores all necessary information to control cellular activity, including specialization of cells and arrangement of tissues into organs.
DNA is found in almost every cell, particularly in the nucleus.
DNA is generally found in a long spaghetti-like structure called the chromatin network.
The two ring structures in adenine and guanine are known as purines, while the single ring structures are known as pyrimidines and they are thymine and cytosine.
Weak hydrogen bonds are used to attach complementary nucleotides to one another.
DNA carries our hereditary information, which is stored in the form of genes, and it provides the code for an organism's growth and development by coding for protein synthesis.
Guanine and cytosine form base pairs, with guanine joining to cytosine and cytosine joining to guanine.
Thymine and adenine have different structures, with thymine being a single ring and adenine being a double ring.
The sugar phosphate backbone is a foundation for holding all nucleotides together.
DNA's function is also linked to the ability to pass DNA onto the next generation, as it needs to be able to replicate itself in order to be passed on through cellular division.
The DNA strand spends the majority of its time in the form of the chromatin network except when it wants to replicate a cell or to reproduce a new cell.
Chromosomes are long thin intertwined thread-like structures made up of a strand of DNA that is wound around some proteins.
Genes are short segments of code that are used to create different proteins and are often referred to as our hereditary information.
Chromosomes fit into the bigger picture of DNA alongside single chromosomes, which are replicated and have two identical arms called chromatids attached to each other by the centromere.
The components that make up DNA include the nucleus, which houses the DNA in a cell, and histone proteins, which the DNA thread is wrapped around.
Every nucleotide has three important components: the phosphate group, the sugar, and the nitrogenous base.
DNA consists of globular proteins that give the chromosome shape and definition as well as protecting the DNA from being broken or lost.
The defining shape of a DNA strand is a double helix, a single strand that spirals around another strand.
Stretching out the DNA strand further reveals sections of DNA that we call genes, which are our hereditary units.
The phosphate group gives away that it is a group of phosphate surrounded by oxygens and forms a part of the backbone of a DNA molecule.
There are four nitrogenous bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine, and they are complementary to one another, meaning they will only ever pair with their complementary base.
The nucleotides are the building blocks of DNA molecules and are also known as monomers.
Nucleotides are composed of a phosphate group, a sugar, and a nitrogenous base, and are referred to as monomers.
Adenine always joins to thymine and guanine always joins to cytosine, forming complementary base pairs.
The nitrogenous bases are the foundation of our genetic code and are the DNA code that will code for every protein needed to grow and maintain an organism.
Attached to the backbone of a DNA molecule is a sugar, which is a ribose sugar, also known as deoxyribose, and is a pentose sugar.
Many nucleotides can be put together to form one strand of DNA.