The nucleic acids include deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). DNA and RNA work together to affect the synthesis of proteins. Nucleic acid molecules are polymers of nucleotides, which are simple structures that consist of a sugar, a phosphate, and a nitrogenous base. Nitrogenous bases are ringed structures consisting of nitrogen, carbon, and hydrogen.
DNA and RNA consist of a sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.
Specifically, RNA nucleotides have ribose as their sugar and any one of the following nitrogenous bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and uracil. DNA nucleotides have deoxyribose as their sugar and any one of the following nitrogenous bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine (shown below).
The figure below illustrates how nucleotide monomers are joined to make a nucleic acid polymer; in this case a DNA double helix.
DNA usually exists as paired strands, with the two sides held together by hydrogen bonds between the nitrogenous bases. Specifically, cytosine will bind to guanine, and thymine to adenine. However, RNA is typically a single-stranded molecule. The roles of DNA and RNA will be discussed in more detail in future tutorials.
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