Nucleic acid | Definition, Function, Structure, Types | Britannica Nucleic acids are naturally occurring chemical compounds that serve as the primary information-carrying molecules in cells They play an especially important role in directing protein synthesis The two main classes of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA)
Nucleic acid - DNA, Genes, Molecules | Britannica Nucleic acid - DNA, Genes, Molecules: DNA is a polymer of the four nucleotides A, C, G, and T, which are joined through a backbone of alternating phosphate and deoxyribose sugar residues These nitrogen-containing bases occur in complementary pairs as determined by their ability to form hydrogen bonds between them A always pairs with T through two hydrogen bonds, and G always pairs with C
Nucleic acid - Metabolism, Structure, Function | Britannica Nucleic acid - Metabolism, Structure, Function: Replication, repair, and recombination—the three main processes of DNA metabolism—are carried out by specialized machinery within the cell DNA must be replicated accurately in order to ensure the integrity of the genetic code Errors that creep in during replication or because of damage after replication must be repaired Finally
nucleic acid summary | Britannica nucleic acid, Any of the naturally occurring chemical compounds that are capable of being broken down to yield phosphoric acid, sugars, and a mixture of organic bases (purines and pyrimidines)
Friedrich Miescher | Biography Facts | Britannica Friedrich Miescher (born August 13, 1844, Basel, Switzerland—died August 26, 1895, Davos) was a Swiss student of cell metabolism and the discoverer of nucleic acids In 1869, while working under Ernst Hoppe-Seyler at the University of Tübingen, Miescher discovered a substance containing both phosphorus and nitrogen in the nuclei of white blood cells found in pus The substance, first named
Nucleotide | Description, Types, Function, Facts | Britannica For full treatment, see nucleic acids In the two families of nucleic acids, RNA (ribonucleic acid) and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the sequence of nucleotides in the DNA or RNA codes for the structure of proteins synthesized in the cell The nucleotide adenosine triphosphate (ATP) supplies the driving force of many metabolic processes
Nucleic acid - Methylation, DNA, RNA | Britannica Nucleic acid - Methylation, DNA, RNA: Three types of natural methylation have been reported in DNA Cytosine can be modified either on the ring to form 5-methylcytosine or on the exocyclic amino group to form N4-methylcytosine Adenine may be modified to form N6-methyladenine N4-methylcytosine and N6-methyladenine are found only in bacteria and archaea, whereas 5-methylcytosine is widely
Protein - Nucleic Acids, Structure, Function | Britannica Protein - Nucleic Acids, Structure, Function: When a protein solution is mixed with a solution of a nucleic acid, the phosphoric acid component of the nucleic acid combines with the positively charged ammonium groups (―NH3+) of the protein to form a protein–nucleic acid complex The nucleus of a cell contains predominantly deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and the cytoplasm predominantly
Life - DNA, RNA, Protein | Britannica Life - DNA, RNA, Protein: The specific carrier of the genetic information in all organisms is the nucleic acid known as DNA, short for deoxyribonucleic acid DNA is a double helix, two molecular coils wrapped around each other and chemically bound one to another by bonds connecting adjacent bases Each long ladderlike DNA helix has a backbone that consists of a sequence of alternating sugars