What is a nucleic acid?

Question

for hw (again). consice and clear. thnx to everybody who wrote in

Answer 1

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.

Artificial nucleic acids include peptide nucleic acid (PNA), Morpholino and locked nucleic acid (LNA), as well as glycol nucleic acid (GNA) and threose nucleic acid (TNA). Each of these is distinguished from naturally occurring DNA or RNA by changes to the backbone of the molecule.
[edit] Chemical structure
The term "nucleic acid" is the generic name of a family of biopolymers, named for their prevalence in cellular nuclei. The monomers from which nucleic acids are constructed are called nucleotides. Each nucleotide 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 structure of the sugar in their nucleotides; DNA contains 2-deoxyriboses while RNA contains ribose. Likewise, the nitrogenous bases found in the two nucleic acids are different: adenine, cytosine, and guanine are in both RNA and DNA, while thymine only occurs in DNA and uracil only occurs in RNA. Other rare nucleic acid bases can occur, for example inosine in strands of mature transfer RNA.

Nucleic acids are usually either single-stranded or double-stranded, though structures with three or more strands can form. 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-helical 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 of the sugar. The bases extend from a glycosidic linkage to the 1' carbon of the pentose sugar ring.

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.


http://www.swbic.org/products/clipart/images/nacollage.jpg Nucleic Acid Structures
http://miracle.igib.res.in/hfinder Prediction of hairpin forming potential in nucleotide sequences



Interview with Aaron Klug, Nobel Laureate for structural elucidation of biologically important nucleic-acid protein complexes provided by the Vega Science Trust.
Links to external chemical sources



v • d • eMajor Families of Biochemicals
Peptides | Amino acids | Nucleic acids | Carbohydrates | Lipids | Terpenoids | Carotenoids | Tetrapyrroles | Enzyme cofactors | Steroids | Flavonoids | Alkaloids | Polyketides
Analogues of nucleic acids: Types of Nucleic Acids Analogues of nucleic acids:
Nucleobases: Adenine | Thymine | Uracil | Guanine | Cytosine | Purine | Pyrimidine
Nucleosides: Adenosine | Uridine | Guanosine | Cytidine | Deoxyadenosine | Thymidine | Deoxyguanosine | Deoxycytidine
Nucleotides: AMP | UMP | GMP | CMP | ADP | UDP | GDP | CDP | ATP | UTP | GTP | CTP | cAMP | cADPR | cGMP
Deoxynucleotides: dAMP | TMP | dGMP | dCMP | dADP | TDP | dGDP | dCDP | dATP | TTP | dGTP | dCTP
Ribonucleic acids: RNA | mRNA | piRNA | tRNA | rRNA | ncRNA | sgRNA | shRNA | siRNA | snRNA | miRNA | snoRNA | LNA
Deoxyribonucleic acids: DNA | mtDNA | cDNA | plasmid | Cosmid | BAC | YAC | HAC
Analogues of nucleic acids: GNA | PNA | TNA| LNA | morpholino

Answer 2

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.

Artificial nucleic acids include peptide nucleic acid (PNA), Morpholino and locked nucleic acid (LNA), as well as glycol nucleic acid (GNA) and threose nucleic acid (TNA). Each of these is distinguished from naturally occurring DNA or RNA by changes to the backbone of the molecule.


[edit] Chemical structure
The term "nucleic acid" is the generic name of a family of biopolymers, named for their prevalence in cellular nuclei. The monomers from which nucleic acids are constructed are called nucleotides. Each nucleotide 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 structure of the sugar in their nucleotides; DNA contains 2-deoxyriboses while RNA contains ribose. Likewise, the nitrogenous bases found in the two nucleic acids are different: adenine, cytosine, and guanine are in both RNA and DNA, while thymine only occurs in DNA and uracil only occurs in RNA. Other rare nucleic acid bases can occur, for example inosine in strands of mature transfer RNA.

Nucleic acids are usually either single-stranded or double-stranded, though structures with three or more strands can form. 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-helical 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 of the sugar. The bases extend from a glycosidic linkage to the 1' carbon of the pentose sugar ring.

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.

Answer 3

if you want a dumbed down version of the above people's wikipedia copies, here it is:

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA(ribonucleic acid), and ATP(adenosine triphosphate) are the most common nucleic acids. DNA stores genetic information in the nucleus of a cell. RNA, among other uses, helps in the creation of proteins. ATP is used to provide energy for all cellular functions.

Answer 4

nucleic acid is the is what makes up the outside of a strand RNA and in DNA but in DNA there are two links of nucleic in each nucleotide instead of the one in RNA so therefore DNA is basically, not exactly, two chains of RNA binded together by protein chains

Answer 5

Nucleotides. A nucleotide is made of a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar, and a bit of phosphate backbone. Those things are made from carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, and phosphorus.

Answer 6

One of the four macromolecules that stores and transmits genetic information.That's all I remember for now.