nucleic acid

nu·cle·ic acid

(nū-klē'ĭk, -klā'-, nyū-) pronunciation

n.
Any of a group of complex compounds found in all living cells and viruses, composed of purines, pyrimidines, carbohydrates, and phosphoric acid. Nucleic acids in the form of DNA and RNA control cellular function and heredity.

Search unanswered questions...

Browse: Unanswered questions | Most-recent questions | Reference library

nucleic acid

Top

Any of the naturally occurring chemical compounds that are capable of being broken down to yield phosphoric acid, sugars, and a mixture of organic bases (purines and pyrimidines). Nucleic acids direct the course of protein synthesis, thereby regulating all cell activities. The two main types, DNA and RNA, are composed of similar materials but differ in structure and function. Both are long chains of repeating nucleotides. The sequence of purines and pyrimidines (bases) — adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and either thymine (T; in DNA) or uracil (U; in RNA) — in the nucleotides, in groups of three (triplets, or codons), constitutes the genetic code.

For more information on nucleic acid, visit Britannica.com.

McGraw-Hill Science & Technology Encyclopedia:

Nucleic acid

Top

An acidic, chainlike biological macromolecule consisting of multiply repeated units of phosphoric acid, sugar, and purine and pyrimidine bases. Nucleic acids as a class are involved in the preservation, replication, and expression of hereditary information in every living cell. There are two types of nucleic acid: deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA).

Oxford Food & Nutrition Dictionary:

nucleic acids

Top

Polymers of purine and pyrimidine sugar phosphates; two main classes: ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Collectively the purines and pyrimidines are called bases. DNA is a double-stranded polymer (the so-called ‘double helix’) containing the five-carbon sugar deoxyribose. RNA is a single-stranded polymer containing the sugar ribose.

They are not nutritionally important, since dietary nucleic acids are hydrolysed to their bases, ribose and phosphate, in the intestinal tract; purines and pyrimidines can readily be synthesized in the body, and are not dietary essentials.

Columbia Encyclopedia:

nucleic acid

Top

nucleic acid, any of a group of organic substances found in the chromosomes of living cells and viruses that play a central role in the storage and replication of hereditary information and in the expression of this information through protein synthesis. In most organisms, nucleic acids occur in combination with proteins; the combined substances are called nucleoproteins. Nucleic acid molecules are complex chains of varying length. The two chief types of nucleic acids are DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which carries the hereditary information from generation to generation, and RNA (ribonucleic acid), which delivers the instructions coded in this information to the cell's protein manufacturing sites.

A substance that he called nuclein (now known as DNA) was isolated by 1869 by Friedrich Miescher, but it was only in the last half of the 20th cent. that that research revealed its significance as the material of which the gene is composed, and thus its function as the chemical bearer of hereditary characteristics. RNA was first made by laboratory synthesis in 1955. In 1965 the nucleotide sequence of tRNA was determined, and in 1967 the synthesis of biologically active DNA was achieved. The amount of RNA varies from cell to cell, but the amount of DNA is normally constant for all typical cells of a given species of plant or animal, no matter what the size or function of that cell. The amount doubles as the chromosomes replicate themselves before cell division takes place (see mitosis); in the ovum and sperm the amount is half that in the body cells (see meiosis).

DNA

The chemical and physical properties of DNA suit it for both replication and transfer of information. Each DNA molecule is a long two-stranded chain. The strands are made up of subunits called nucleotides, each containing a sugar (deoxyribose), a phosphate group, and one of four nitrogenous bases, adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine, denoted A, G, T, and C, respectively. A given strand contains nucleotides bearing each of these four. The information carried by a given gene is coded in the sequence in which the nucleotides bearing different bases occur along the strand. These nucleotide sequences determine the sequences of amino acids in the polypeptide chain of the protein specified by that gene.

Between the genes, or coding loci, on the DNA of higher organisms, there are long portions of DNA, often referred to as "junk" DNA, that code no proteins. Sometimes junk DNA occurs within a gene; when this occurs, the coding portions are called exons and the noncoding (junk) portions are called introns. Junk DNA makes up 97% of the DNA in the human genome. Little is known of its purpose.

In 1953 the molecular biologists J. D. Watson, an American, and F. H. Crick, an Englishman, proposed that the two DNA strands were coiled in a double helix. In this model each nucleotide subunit along one strand is bound to a nucleotide subunit on the other strand by hydrogen bonds between the base portions of the nucleotides. The fact that adenine bonds only with thymine (A-T) and guanine bonds only with cytosine (G-C) determines that the strands will be complementary, i.e., that for every adenine on one strand there will be a thymine on the other strand. It is the property of complementarity between strands that insures that DNA can be replicated, i.e., that identical copies can be made in order to be transmitted to the next generation as in the diagram.

RNA and Protein Synthesis

In order to be expressed as protein, the genetic information must be carried to the protein-synthesizing machinery of the cell, which is in the cell's cytoplasm (see cell). One form of RNA mediates this process. RNA is similar to DNA, but contains the sugar ribose instead of deoxyribose and the base uracil (U) instead of thymine. To initiate the process of information transfer, one strand of the double-stranded DNA chain serves as a template for the synthesis of a single strand of RNA that is complementary to the DNA strand (e.g., the DNA sequence AGTC will specify an RNA sequence UCAG). This process is called transcription and is mediated by enzymes.

The newly synthesized RNA, called messenger RNA, or mRNA, moves quickly to bodies in the cytoplasm called ribosomes, which are composed of two particles made of protein bound to ribosomal RNA, or rRNA. Each ribosome is the site of synthesis of a polypeptide chain. Several ribosomes attach to a single mRNA so that many polypeptide chains are synthesized from the same mRNA; each cluster of an mRNA and ribosomes is called a polyribosome or polysome. The nucleotide sequence of the mRNA is translated into the amino acid sequence of a protein by adaptor molecules composed of a third type of RNA called transfer RNA, or tRNA. There are many different species of tRNA, with each species binding one of 20 amino acids.

In protein synthesis, a nucleotide sequence along the mRNA does not specify an amino acid directly; rather, it specifies a particular species of tRNA. For example, in coding for the amino acid tyrosine, a nucleotide sequence of mRNA is complementary to a portion of a tyrosine-tRNA molecule. As each specified tRNA associates with its complementary space on the mRNA, the amino acid is added onto the lengthening protein chain and the tRNA is released. When the protein chain is complete, it is released from the ribosome.

The particular sequence of amino acids in each polypeptide chain is determined by the genetic code. Starting at one end of the mRNA strand, each 3-nucleotide sequence, or codon, specifies, via complementary tRNA sequences, one amino acid, and the series of such codons in the mRNA specifies a polypeptide chain. Although a "vocabulary" of 64 words, or specifications, is theoretically possible with 4 different nucleotides taken three at a time, there are only 20 amino acids to be specified. However, several triplets may code for the same amino acid; for example UAU and UAC both code for the amino acid tyrosine. In addition, there are some codons that do not code for amino acids but code for polypeptide chain initiation and polypeptide chain termination. The code is also nonoverlapping; i.e., a nucleotide in one codon is never part of either adjacent codon. The code seems to be universal in all living organisms.

The determination of the mechanism of protein synthesis has increased understanding of many genetic processes and permitted such developments as bioengineering. Some mutagens, or mutation-inducing agents, cause the substitution of one nucleotide for another in an mRNA strand; other mutagens cause deletion or addition of nucleotides. Decoding, or reading, of such strands will be altered.

Metabolic regulation has been studied to determine how the genes that control enzyme synthesis can be switched on and off when certain substances are present. For example, in the process known as induction, bacteria synthesize the enzyme β-galactosidase only when lactose is present. Induction has been linked to the activity at a so-called operator site on a chromosome. When the operator site is open, the genes it controls function freely; when it is blocked, as by a repressor molecule, the genes it controls also do not function.

Bibliography

See J. D. Watson, The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (1968) and DNA: The Secret of Life (2003); R. L. Adams et al., ed., The Biochemistry of the Nucleic Acids (1986); V. K. McElheny, Watson and DNA: Making a Scientific Revolution (2003); I Rosenfield et al., DNA: A Graphic Guide to the Molicule that Shook the World (2010).

Biology Q&A:

What are nucleic acids?

Top

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid) are nucleic acids. Nucleic acids are molecules comprised of monomers known as nucleotides. These molecules may be relatively small (as in the case of certain kinds of RNA) or quite large (a single DNA strand may have millions of monomer units). Individual nucleotides and their derivatives are important in living organisms. ATP, the molecule that transfers energy in cells, is built from a nucleotide, as are a number of other molecules crucial to metabolism.

Previous question:	Why are proteins among the most complex molecules?
Next question:	What is a metabolic pathway?

Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: Science:

nucleic acids

Top

(nooh-klee-ik)

Organic molecules found in the nuclei of cells. DNA and RNA, the best-known nucleic acids, govern heredity and the chemical processes in the cell.

Wiley Dictionary of Flavors:

Nucleic Acid

Top

Two types of nucleic acids are of specific importance. Deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid are fundamental to the propagation of all life and for the reproduction of the plan for a specific organism, its genetic code. There are only four bases or types of nucleic acids found in life on this planet: adenine, guanine, thiamine, and cytosine. In genetic shorthand, they are abbreviated A, C, T, and G. These provide the paired steps on the helical ladder of DNA, for example. It is the sequence of these four bases that makes up the genetic code. Currently there is a project to map the genetic code of the human body. This is called the 'Genome Project.' On July 27, 2004, the announcement was made that the entire human genone was decoded.

Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry:

nucleic acid

Top

abbr.: NA; any single- or double-stranded polynucleotide of molar mass in the range 20 kDa to 40 GDa or more. Nucleic acids are either deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) or ribonucleic acids (RNA). The phosphoric residue linking any constituent mononucleotide residue to the next bears one free hydroxyl group, which is weakly acidic. They are universal constituents of living matter and are concerned with the storage, transmission, and transfer of genetic information.

Previous:	nuclei, nucleation, nucleate
Next:	nucleics, nuclein, nucleinase

Saunders Veterinary Dictionary:

nucleic acids

Top

Threadlike, high-molecular-weight molecules that occur naturally in the cells of all living organisms. They form the genetic material of the cell and direct the synthesis of protein within the cell.
Nucleic acids are composed of repeating smaller units, called nucleotides or bases, which are made up of a pentose sugar, a nitrogenous base, and a phosphate group. There are two major classes of nucleic acids: deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) whose pentose sugar is deoxyribose, and ribonucleic acid (RNA) whose pentose sugar is ribose. The major purine and pyrimidine bases in the nucleic acids are adenine (A), guanine (G) and cytosine (C), which occur in both, and thymine (T) in DNA and uracil (U) in RNA.
RNA is present in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm of many cells. Most of the cytoplasmic RNA is associated with ribosomes (called rRNA), which are the site of protein synthesis. RNA molecules perform several functions in the cell, depending on the type of RNA molecule and its specific properties. DNA is a major constituent of chromosomes in the nuclei of all cells. Its chief function is to provide a genetic message that is encoded in the sequence of bases.

n. acid sequencing — see dna sequencing.

Mosby's Dental Dictionary:

nucleic acid

Top

A family of macromolecules found in the chromosomes, nucleoli, mitochondria, and cytoplasm of all cells. In complexes with proteins, they are called nucleoproteins.

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'nucleic acids'

Top

Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier

For a list of words related to nucleic acids, see:

Genetics, Heredity, and Evolution - nucleic acids: main component of DNA and RNA, whose arrangement carries genetic code

Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Nucleic acid

Top

Nucleic acids are biological molecules essential for life, and include DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid). Together with proteins, nucleic acids make up the most important macromolecules; each is found in abundance in all living things, where they function in encoding, transmitting and expressing genetic information.

Nucleic acids were discovered by Friedrich Miescher in 1869.^[1] Experimental studies of nucleic acids constitute a major part of modern biological and medical research, and form a foundation for genome and forensic science, as well as the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Contents

1 Occurrence and nomenclature^[5]
2 Molecular composition and size^[10]
3 Topology
4 Nucleic acid sequences
5 Types of nucleic acids
6 See also
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links

Occurrence and nomenclature^[5]

The term nucleic acid is the overall name for DNA and RNA, members of a family of biopolymers,^[6] and is synonymous with polynucleotide. Nucleic acids were named for their initial discovery within the nucleus, and for the presence of phosphate groups (related to phosphoric acid). Although first discovered within the nucleus of eukaryotic cells, nucleic acids are now known to be found in all life forms, including within bacteria, archaea, mitochondria, chloroplasts, viruses and viroids. All living cells and organelles contain both DNA and RNA, while viruses contain either DNA or RNA, but usually not both.^[7] The basic component of biological nucleic acids is the nucleotide, each of which contains a pentose sugar (ribose or deoxyribose), a phosphate group, and a nucleobase. Nucleic acids are also generated within the laboratory, through the use of enzymes^[8] (DNA and RNA polymerases) and by solid-phase chemical synthesis. The chemical methods also enable the generation of altered nucleic acids that are not found in nature,^[9] for example peptide nucleic acids.

Molecular composition and size^[10]

Nucleic acids can vary in size, but are generally very large molecules. Indeed, DNA molecules are probably the largest individual molecules known. Well-studied biological nucleic acid molecules range in size from 21 nucleotides (small interfering RNA) to large chromosomes (human chromosome 1 is a single molecule that contains 247 million base pairs^[11]).

In most cases, naturally occurring DNA molecules are double-stranded and RNA molecules are single-stranded. There are numerous exceptions, however—some viruses have genomes made of double-stranded RNA and other viruses have single-stranded DNA genomes, and, in some circumstances, nucleic acid structures with three or four strands can form.

Nucleic acids are linear polymers (chains) of nucleotides. Each nucleotide consists of three components: a purine or pyrimidine nucleobase (sometimes termed nitrogenous base or simply base), a pentose sugar, and a phosphate group. The substructure consisting of a nucleobase plus sugar is termed a nucleoside. Nucleic acid types differ in the structure of the sugar in their nucleotides - DNA contains 2'-deoxyribose while RNA contains ribose (where the only difference is the presence of a hydroxyl group). Also, the nucleobases found in the two nucleic acid types are different: adenine, cytosine, and guanine are found in both RNA and DNA, while thymine occurs in DNA and uracil occurs in RNA.

The sugars and phosphates in nucleic acids are connected to each other in an alternating chain (sugar-phosphate backbone) through phosphodiester linkages.^[10] In conventional nomenclature, the carbons to which the phosphate groups attach are the 3'-end and the 5'-end carbons of the sugar. This gives nucleic acids directionality, and the ends of nucleic acid molecules are referred to as 5'-end and 3'-end. The nucleobases are joined to the sugars via an N-glycosidic linkage involving a nucleobase ring nitrogen (N-1 for pyrimidines and N-9 for purines) and the 1' carbon of the pentose sugar ring.

Non-standard nucleosides are also found in both RNA and DNA and usually arise from modification of the standard nucleosides within the DNA molecule or the primary (initial) RNA transcript. Transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules contain a particularly large number of modified nucleosides.^[12]

Topology

Double-stranded nucleic acids are made up of complementary sequences, in which extensive Watson-Crick base pairing results in the a highly repeated and quite uniform double-helical three-dimensional structure.^[13] In contrast, single-stranded RNA and DNA molecules are not constrained to a regular double helix, and can adopt highly complex three-dimensional structures that are based on short stretches of intramolecular base-paired sequences that include both Watson-Crick and noncanonical base pairs, as well as a wide range of complex tertiary interactions.^[14]

Nucleic acid molecules are usually unbranched, and may occur as linear and circular molecules. For example, bacterial chromosomes, plasmids, mitochondrial DNA and chloroplast DNA are usually circular double-stranded DNA molecules, while chromosomes of the eukaryotic nucleus are usually linear double-stranded DNA molecules.^[7] Most RNA molecules are linear, single-stranded molecules, but both circular and branched molecules can result from RNA splicing reactions.^[5]

Nucleic acid sequences

Main article: Nucleic acid sequence

One DNA or RNA molecule differs from another primarily in the sequence of nucleotides. Nucleotide sequences are of great importance in biology, since they carry the ultimate instructions that encode all biological molecules, molecular assemblies, subcellular and cellular structures, organs and organisms, and directly enable cognition, memory and behavior (See: Genetics). Enormous efforts have gone into the development of experimental methods to determine the nucleotide sequence of biological DNA and RNA molecules,^[15]^[16] and today hundreds of millions of nucleotides are sequenced daily at genome centers and smaller laboratories worldwide.

Types of nucleic acids

Deoxyribonucleic acid

Main article: DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information and DNA is often compared to a set of blueprints, since it contains the instructions needed to construct other components of cells, such as proteins and RNA molecules. The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in regulating the use of this genetic information.

Ribonucleic acid

Main article: RNA

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) functions in converting genetic information from genes into the amino acid sequences of proteins. The three universal types of RNA include transfer RNA (tRNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). Messenger RNA acts to carry genetic sequence information between DNA and ribosomes, directing protein synthesis. Ribosomal RNA is a major component of the ribosome, and catalyzes peptide bond formation. Transfer RNA serves as the carrier molecule for amino acids to be used in protein synthesis, and is responsible for decoding the mRNA. In addition, many other classes of RNA are now known.

Artificial nucleic acid analogs

Main article: Nucleic acid analogues

Artificial nucleic acid analogs have been designed and synthesized by chemists, and include peptide nucleic acid, morpholino- and locked nucleic acid, as well as glycol nucleic acid and threose nucleic acid. Each of these is distinguished from naturally-occurring DNA or RNA by changes to the backbone of the molecule.

References

^ Dahm, R (Jan 2008). "Discovering DNA: Friedrich Miescher and the early years of nucleic acid research". Human genetics 122 (6): 565–81. doi:10.1007/s00439-007-0433-0. ISSN 0340-6717. PMID 17901982.
^ International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium (2001). "Initial sequencing and analysis of the human genome." (PDF). Nature 409 (6822): 860–921. doi:10.1038/35057062. PMID 11237011. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v409/n6822/pdf/409860a0.pdf.
^ Venter, JC, et al. (2001). "The sequence of the human genome." (PDF). Science 291 (5507): 1304–1351. doi:10.1126/science.1058040. PMID 11181995. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/291/5507/1304.pdf.
^ Budowle B, van Daal A (April 2009). "Extracting evidence from forensic DNA analyses: future molecular biology directions". BioTechniques 46 (5): 339–40, 342–50. doi:10.2144/000113136. PMID 19480629.
^ ^a ^b Alberts, Bruce (2008). Molecular biology of the cell. New York: Garland Science. ISBN 0-8153-4105-9.
^ Elson D (1965). "Metabolism of nucleic acids (macromolecular DNA and RNA)". Annu. Rev. Biochem. 34: 449–86. doi:10.1146/annurev.bi.34.070165.002313. PMID 14321176.
^ ^a ^b Brock, Thomas D.; Madigan, Michael T. (2009). Brock biology of microorganisms. Pearson / Benjamin Cummings. ISBN 0-321-53615-0.
^ Mullis, Kary B. The Polymerase Chain Reaction (Nobel Lecture). 1993. (retrieved December 1, 2010) http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1993/mullis-lecture.html
^ Verma S, Eckstein F (1998). "Modified oligonucleotides: synthesis and strategy for users". Annu. Rev. Biochem. 67: 99–134. doi:10.1146/annurev.biochem.67.1.99. PMID 9759484.
^ ^a ^b Stryer, Lubert; Berg, Jeremy Mark; Tymoczko, John L. (2007). Biochemistry. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. ISBN 0-7167-6766-X.
^ Gregory SG, Barlow KF, McLay KE, et al. (May 2006). "The DNA sequence and biological annotation of human chromosome 1". Nature 441 (7091): 315–21. doi:10.1038/nature04727. PMID 16710414.
^ Rich A, RajBhandary UL (1976). "Transfer RNA: molecular structure, sequence, and properties". Annu. Rev. Biochem. 45: 805–60. doi:10.1146/annurev.bi.45.070176.004105. PMID 60910.
^ Watson JD, Crick FH (April 1953). "Molecular structure of nucleic acids; a structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid". Nature 171 (4356): 737–8. Bibcode 1953Natur.171..737W. doi:10.1038/171737a0. PMID 13054692.
^ Ferré-D'Amaré AR, Doudna JA (1999). "RNA folds: insights from recent crystal structures". Annu Rev Biophys Biomol Struct 28: 57–73. doi:10.1146/annurev.biophys.28.1.57. PMID 10410795.
^ Gilbert, Walter G. 1980. DNA Sequencing and Gene Structure (Nobel Lecture) http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1980/gilbert-lecture.html
^ Sanger, Frederick. 1980. Determination of Nucleotide Sequences in DNA (Nobel Lecture) http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1980/sanger-lecture.html

External links

v d e Types of nucleic acids

Constituents	Nucleobases · Nucleosides · Nucleotides · Deoxynucleotides

Ribonucleic acids (coding and non-coding)	translation: mRNA (pre-mRNA/hnRNA) · tRNA · rRNA · tmRNA regulatory: miRNA · siRNA · piRNA · aRNA · RNAi · RNA processing: snRNA · snoRNA ribozymes: pacRNA other/ungrouped: gRNA · shRNA · stRNA · ta-siRNA · SgRNA

Deoxyribonucleic acids	cDNA · cpDNA · gDNA · msDNA · mtDNA

Nucleic acid analogues	GNA · LNA · BNA · PNA · TNA · morpholino

Cloning vectors	phagemid · plasmid · lambda phage · cosmid · fosmid · PAC · BAC · YAC · HAC

biochemical families: proteins (amino acids/intermediates) · nucleic acids (constituents/intermediates) · carbohydrates (glycoproteins, alcohols, glycosides) lipids (fatty acids/intermediates, phospholipids, steroids, sphingolipids, eicosanoids) · tetrapyrroles/intermediates

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Donate to Wikimedia

		American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		McGraw-Hill Science & Technology Encyclopedia. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Oxford Food & Nutrition Dictionary. A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2005 by A. E. Bender and D. A. Bender. All rights reserved. Read more
		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more
		Biology Q&A. The Handy Biology Answer Book. 2004 ©Visible Ink Press (handyanswers.com). All rights reserved. Read more
		Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: Science. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wiley Dictionary of Flavors. Copyright © 2008 by Wiley-Blackwell. Wiley and the Wiley logo are registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Used here by license. Read more
		Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry. Oxford University Press. Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology © 1997, 2000, 2006 All rights reserved. Read more
		Saunders Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more
		Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Random House Word Menu. © 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier. Write Brothers Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Nucleic acid. Read more

	An amino acid is to a protein as what is to a nucleic acid? Read answer...
	Is a fatty acid a part of nucleic acids? Read answer...
	Are amino acids considered nucleic acids? Read answer...

	How do you get nucleic acids?
	What has nucleic acid in it?
	Where can you get nucleic acids?

nucleic acid

nu·cle·ic acid

nucleic acid

Nucleic acid

nucleic acids

nucleic acid

What are nucleic acids?

nucleic acids

Nucleic Acid

nucleic acid

nucleic acids

nucleic acid

categories related to 'nucleic acids'

Nucleic acid

Occurrence and nomenclature[5]

Molecular composition and size[10]

Topology

Nucleic acid sequences

Types of nucleic acids

Deoxyribonucleic acid

Ribonucleic acid

Artificial nucleic acid analogs

See also

References

Further reading

External links

Occurrence and nomenclature^[5]

Molecular composition and size^[10]