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Article: Nucleic Acids
- Article from:
- Chemistry: Foundations and Applications
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Nucleic Acids
Nucleic acids are a family of macromolecules that includes deoxyribonucleic acid (
DNA
) and multiple forms of ribonucleic acid (
RNA
). DNA, in humans and most organisms, is the genetic material and represents a collection of instructions (genes) for making the organism. This collection of instructions is called the genome of the organism. The primary classes of RNA molecules either provide information that is used to convert the genetic information in DNA into functional proteins, or are important players in the
translational process
, in which the actual process of protein
synthesis
(on
ribosomes
) occurs.
Discovery of and Evidence for DNA as the Genetic Material
...