NUCLEIC ACIDS

Nucleic acids are organic compounds that function for

the storage of genetic information which is transmitted
from one generation to the next in all living organisms.
It is the physical carrier of inheritance that is passed
from parents to offspring. Nucleic acids also function in
protein synthesis as they carry the code needed in the
formation of specific proteins. There are two types of
nucleic acids found in living things – deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). Both types of
nucleic acids are made up of basic building blocks
called nucleotide. A nucleotide is made up of a 5-
carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous
base.

The two types of nitrogenous bases are double-ringed purines (guanine {G} and adenine {A}) and single-
ringed pyrimidines (cytosine {C}, thymine {T}, and uracil {U}).

Ribose and deoxyribose are the sugars most commonly found in nucleotides. Deoxy means “lack” or
“absence” (of oxygen) in the molecule.

Types of Nucleic Acid:

Nucleic acids are categorized into deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). DNA is
considered the molecule of life. It stores genetic information and directs the development of the
biochemical, anatomical, and physiological characteristics of organism. To a certain extent, it also
determines behavioural traits. On the other hand, RNA transfers the genetic information stored in DNA
and directs the synthesis of proteins. DNA and RNA have similarities and differences in terms of their
nitrogenous bases and sugar composition.
The structure of DNA as double stranded helix molecule was first described by James Watson and
Francis Crick in 1953. The two strands that make up a DNA molecule are wound around each other
forming a double spiral molecule resembling a twisted ladder. The backbone of the helix consists of
alternating sugars and phosphates, while the steps of the ladder are made up of nitrogenous base pairs.
According to the Watson-Crick DNA model, the different nitrogenous bases form specific pairs that only
A pairs with T while C pairs with G. As a result of specific pairing, the double strand DNA molecule forms
a uniform structure within the entire length of a long helix. Hydrogen bonds connect the nitrogenous
base pairs together making the double helix highly stable. There are three and two hydrogen bonds
between C-G and an A-T pairs, respectively.