Deoxyribonucleic Acid
Things you may not know about Deoxyribonucleic Acid.
What is DNA?
Deoxyribonucleic Acid stands for DNA. DNA is the blueprint of life. DNA is a self-replicating material in almost all living things.
Where is DNA?
DNA is located in the nucleus of a cell.
What is DNA made of?
DNA is made of nucleotides.
What is DNA's structure?
DNA is a double helix formed by based pairs attached to a sugar-phosphate backbone.
What does DNA do?
DNA contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop, survive and reproduce. DNA sequences must be converted into messages that can be used to produce proteins.
Heredity
Heredity is the passing of traits to offspring from its parents.
Replication
Replication is the action of copying or reproducing something.
Protein Production
Protein production is the process by which amino acids are linearly arranged into proteins through the involvement of ribosomal RNA, transfer RNA, messenger RNA, and various enzymes.
What is RNA?
RNA is one of the three major biological macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life.
Types of RNA:
- mRNA or Messenger RNA
mRNA transcribes the genetic code from DNA into a form that can be read and used to make proteins. It carries genetic information from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. - rRNA or Ribosomal RNA
rRNA is located in the cytoplasm of a cell, where ribosomes are found. It directs the translation of mRNA into proteins. - tRNA or Transfer RNA
tRNA is located in the cellular cytoplasm and is involved in protein synthesis. It brings or transfers amino acids to the ribosome that correspond to each three-nucleotide codon of rRNA. The amino acids then can be joined together and processed to make polypeptides and proteins.
What does RNA do?
RNA is involved as a carrier of information, and as a catalyst for the synthesis of the peptide bond.