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Schematic diagram of a double-stranded nucleic acid. Yellow-green shaded circles represent phosphate; green-hatched circles represent pentose; red-slashed circles represent nitrogenous bases. Solid lines represent covalent bonds; dotted lines represent hydrogen bonds.

A nucleic acid is a complex, high-molecular-weight biochemical macromolecule composed of nucleotide chains that convey genetic information. The most common nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). Nucleic acids are found in all living cells and viruses. Image File history File links Information_icon. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes and transformations in living organisms. ... A macromolecule is a large molecule with a large molecular mass, but generally the use of the term is restricted to polymers and molecules which structurally include polymers. ... A nucleotide is a chemical compound that consists of a heterocyclic base, a sugar, and one or more phosphate groups. ... A DNA sequence (sometimes genetic sequence) is a succession of letters representing the primary structure of a real or hypothetical DNA molecule or strand, The possible letters are A, C, G, and T, representing the four nucleotide subunits of a DNA strand (adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine), and typically these are... The general structure of a section of DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions for the biological development of a cellular form of life or a virus. ... Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a nucleic acid polymer consisting of nucleotide monomers. ... Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hook from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell. Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green). ... Groups I: dsDNA viruses II: ssDNA viruses III: dsRNA viruses IV: (+)ssRNA viruses V: (-)ssRNA viruses VI: ssRNA-RT viruses VII: dsDNA-RT viruses A virus (Latin, poison) is a microscopic particle that can infect the cells of a biological organism. ...

Artificial nucleic acids include peptide nucleic acid (PNA) and locked nucleic acid (LNA), as well as glycol nucleic acid (GNA) and threose nucleic acid (TNA). Each of these is distinguished from naturally occuring DNA or RNA by changes to the backbone of the molecule. PNA is peptide nucleic acid, a chemical similar to DNA or RNA but differing in the composition of its backbone. ... A locked nucleic acid (LNA) is a modified RNA nucleotide. ... GNA is glycol nucleic acid, a chemical similar to DNA or RNA but differing in the composition of its backbone. ... TNA is threose nucleic acid, a chemical similar to DNA or RNA but differing in the composition of its backbone. ...

Chemical structure

The term "nucleic acid", termed because of its prevalence in cellular nuclei, is the generic name of a family of biopolymers. The monomers themselves are called nucleotides. Each monomer consists of three components: a nitrogenous heterocyclic base, either a purine or a pyrimidine; a pentose sugar; and a phosphate group. Different nucleic acid types differ in +the specific sugar found in their chain. For example, DNA contains 2-deoxyriboses. Likewise, the nitrogenous bases possible in the two nucleic acids are different: adenine, cytosine, and guanine are possible in both RNA and DNA, while thymine is possible only in DNA and uracil is possible only in RNA. They are really helpful toward carrying our body's code (DNA/RNA) throughout our blood. Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hook from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell. Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green). ... The eukaryotic cell nucleus. ... Biopolymers are a special class of polymers produced by living organisms. ... In chemistry, a monomer (from Greek mono one and meros part) is a small molecule that may become chemically bonded to other monomers to form a polymer. ... A nucleotide is a chemical compound that consists of a heterocyclic base, a sugar, and one or more phosphate groups. ... Heterocyclic compounds are substances which contain a ring structure as found in benzene and the aromatic compounds, or aromatic hydrocarbons, but in which other atoms than carbon, such as sulfur, oxygen or nitrogen are found as part of the ring. ... A base in chemistry is a chemical substance which has a free pair of electrons to bind a hydrogen ion commonly referred to as a proton (IUPAC definition). ... Purine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound, consisting of a pyrimidine ring fused to an imidazole ring. ... Pyrimidine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound similar to benzene and pyridine, containing two nitrogen atoms at positions 1 and 3 of the six-member ring [1]. It is isomeric with two other forms of diazine. ... A pentose is a monosaccharide with five carbon atoms. ... Magnification of typical sugar showing monoclinic hemihedral crystal stucture. ... Above is a ball-and-stick model of the inorganic hydrogenphosphate anion (HPO42−). Colour coding: P (orange); O (red); H (white). ... Deoxyribose Deoxyribose, also known as D-Deoxyribose and 2-deoxyribose, is an aldopentose — a monosaccharide containing five carbon atoms, and including an aldehyde functional group. ... Adenine is one of the two purine nucleobases used in forming nucleotides of the nucleic acids DNA and RNA. In DNA, adenine binds to thymine via two hydrogen bonds to assist in stabilizing the nucleic acid structures. ... Cytosine is one of the 5 main nucleobases used in storing and transporting genetic information within a cell in the nucleic acids DNA and RNA. It is a pyrimidine derivative, with a heterocyclic aromatic ring and two substituents attached (an amine group at position 4 and a keto group at... Guanine is one of the five main nucleobases found in the nucleic acids DNA and RNA; the others being adenine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil. ... For the similarly-spelled vitamin compound, see Thiamine Thymine, also known as 5-methyluracil, is a pyrimidine nucleobase. ... Uracil is a pyrimidine which is common and naturally occuring. ...

Nucleic acids can be either single-stranded or double-stranded. A double-stranded nucleic acid consists of two single-stranded nucleic acids hydrogen-bonded together. RNA is usually single-stranded, but any given strand may fold back upon itself to form double-heolical regions. DNA is usually double-stranded, though some viruses have single-stranded DNA as their genome. The sugars and phosphates in nucleic acids are connected to each other in an alternating chain, linked by shared oxygens, forming a phosphodiester functional group. In conventional nomenclature, the carbons to which the phosphate groups are attached are the 3' and the 5' carbons. The bases extend from a glycosidic linkage to the 1' carbon of the pentose ring. A chemical bond is the physical phenomenon (or phenomena) responsible for the attractive interactions between atoms that confers stability to di- and polyatomic chemical compounds. ... Groups I: dsDNA viruses II: ssDNA viruses III: dsRNA viruses IV: (+)ssRNA viruses V: (-)ssRNA viruses VI: ssRNA-RT viruses VII: dsDNA-RT viruses A virus (Latin, poison) is a microscopic particle that can infect the cells of a biological organism. ... Diagram of phosphodiester bonds between nucleotides A phosphodiester bond is a group of strong covalent bonds between the phosphorus atom in a phosphate group and two other molecules over two ester bonds. ... Molecular biologists use several shorthands when referring to nucleic acid molecules such as DNA and RNA, collectively referred to as nucleic acid nomenclature. ...

Hydrophobic interaction of nucleic acids is poorly understood. For example, nucleic acids are insoluble in ethanol, TCA, and diluted hydrochloric acid; but they are soluble in diluted NaOH and HCl. Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol, is a flammable, colorless, mildly toxic chemical compound with a distinctive perfume-like odor, and is the alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. ... The term TCA can refer to more than one thing: TCA is the tricarboxylic acid cycle or citric acid cycle (Krebs Cycle) TCA is Trans Canada Airlines TCA is an acronym for tricyclic antidepressants TCA is shorthand for 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, the chief cause of cork taint in wine. ... The chemical compound hydrochloric acid is the aqueous (water-based) solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl). ... Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), also known as caustic soda or lye in North America, is a caustic metallic base used in industry (mostly as a strong chemical base) in the manufacture of paper, textiles, and detergents. ... HCL or HCl can stand for: Hardware Compatibility List Chemical symbol for hydrochloric acid, written HCl Higher Chinese Language, an academic subject in Singapore An Indian software company (previously Hindustan Computers Ltd. ...

External links

• Interview with Aaron Klug, Nobel Laureate for structural elucidation of biologically important nucleic-acid protein complexesprovided by the Vega Science Trust.