![]() Life has a do-it-yourself kit to make proteins, with DNA as the warehouse for all the instruction manuals. This is why scientists often describe the DNA/RNA sequence based on a 5' to 3' orientation. We start at the fifth (5') carbon's phosphate group, and new nucleotides added to the polymer at the hydroxyl group on the third (3') carbon. DNA and RNA are made from stringing a bunch of these sugars together. A nitrogenous base (see the Bases subsection below).Ĭarbons in ribose are numbered 1', 2', 3', and so on, going clockwise from the oxygen in the ring.A 5-carbon, ring-shaped sugar molecule it is ribose in RNA, and deoxyribose in DNA.Nucleotides are also often mistakenly referred to as nucleic acids. The basic unit for DNA, and its brother RNA (ribonucleic acid), is a nucleotide, also sometimes called nucleobases, nucleosides, or just "bases." Yes, these guys have a lot of nicknames. You would be a monomer of a conga line polymer. DNA is a polymer of nucleic acids and proteins are polymers of amino acids. Many of the molecules in a cell are polymers of various smaller molecules. DNA is like a warehouse (but without the convicted felons) that contains the information for making proteins, which are the molecules responsible for all of the activities we define as "life." Nucleic Acids (DNA vs. Reproduce (with or without the aid of Marvin Gaye)Īll of these functions would be impossible to perform without DNA.In order for something to be a living organism, it must be able to do the following: Contrary to unpopular belief, deoxyribonucleic acid is not a word that amateur spellers use to show off their spelling skills. DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid (say that five times fast!) and is the basis for life as we know it. You are reading this unit, though, so we will assume that you are looking to learn more. But, do you really know what DNA is? Sure, you hear about it a lot: DNA this, DNA that, blah, blah…blah. You hear about DNA all the time in the news, movies, and a surprisingly high number of Law & Order: SVU episodes. The Genetic Code (A DaVinci Code for Biologists) ![]()
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