Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions for the development and function of living things.<\/p>\n
All known cellular life and some viruses contain DNA. <\/p>\n
The main role of DNA in the cell is the long-term storage of information. <\/p>\n
It is often compared to a blueprint, since it contains the instructions to construct other components of the cell, such as proteins and RNA molecules. <\/p>\n
The DNA segments that carry genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in regulating the expression of genetic information. <\/p>\n
In eukaryotes such as animals and plants, DNA is stored inside the cell nucleus, while in prokaryotes such as bacteria and archaea, the DNA is in the cell's cytoplasm. <\/p>\n
Unlike enzymes, DNA does not act directly on other molecules; rather, various enzymes act on DNA and copy its information into either more DNA, in DNA replication, or transcribe it into protein. <\/p>\n
Other proteins such as histones are involved in the packaging of DNA or repairing the damage to DNA that causes mutations. <\/p>\n
DNA is a long polymer of simple units called nucleotides, which are held together by a backbone made of sugars and phosphate groups. <\/p>\n
This backbone carries four types of molecules called bases and it is the sequence of these four bases that encodes information. <\/p>\n
The major function of DNA is to encode the sequence of amino acid residues in proteins, using the genetic code. <\/p>\n
To read the genetic code, cells make a copy of a stretch of DNA in the nucleic acid RNA. <\/p>\n
These RNA copies can then used to direct protein synthesis, but they can also be used directly as parts of ribosomes or spliceosomes. <\/p>\n
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Read the original here: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions for the development and function of living things. All known cellular life and some viruses contain DNA. Continue reading
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