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I INTRODUCTION Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), genetic material of
all cellular organisms and most viruses. DNA carries the information needed
to direct protein synthesis and replication. Protein synthesis is the
production of the proteins needed by the cell or virus for its activities
and development. Replication is the process by which DNA copies itself for
each descendant cell or virus, passing on the information needed for
protein synthesis. In most cellular organisms, DNA is organized on
chromosomes located in the nucleus of the cell.
II STRUCTURE
A molecule of DNA consists of two chains, strands composed of a large
number of chemical compounds, called nucleotides, linked together to form a
chain. These chains are arranged like a ladder that has been twisted into
the shape of a winding staircase, called a double helix. Each nucleotide
consists of three units: a sugar molecule called deoxyribose, a phosphate
group, and one of four different nitrogen-containing compounds called
bases. The four bases are adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T), and
cytosine (C). The deoxyribose molecule occupies the center position in the
nucleotide, flanked by a phosphate group on one side and a base on the
other. The phosphate group of each nucleotide is also linked to the
deoxyribose of the adjacent nucleotide in the chain. These linked
deoxyribose-phosphate subunits form the parallel side rails of the ladder.
The bases face inward toward each other, forming the rungs of the ladder.
The nucleotides in one DNA strand have a specific association with the
corresponding nucleotides in the other DNA strand. Because of the chemical
affinity of the bases, nucleotides containing adenine are always paired
with nucleotides containing thymine, and nucleotides containing cytosine
are always paired with nucleotides containing guanine. The complementary
bases are joined to each other by weak chemical bonds called hydrogen
bonds.
In 1953 American biochemist James D. Watson and British biophysicist
Francis Crick published the first description of the structure of DNA.
Their model proved to be so important for the understanding of protein
synthesis, DNA replication, and mutation that they were awarded the 1962
Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine for their work.
III PROTEIN SYNTHESIS
DNA carries the instructions for the production of proteins. A protein is
composed of smaller molecules called amino acids, and the structure and
function of the protein is determined by the sequence of its amino acids.
The sequence of amino acids, in turn, is determined by the sequence of
nucleotide bases in the DNA. A sequence of three nucleotide bases, called a
triplet, is the genetic code word, or codon, that specifies a particular
amino acid. For instance, the triplet GAC (guanine, adenine, and cytosine)
is the codon for the amino acid leucine, and the triplet CAG (cytosine,
adenine, and guanine) is the codon for the amino acid valine. A protein
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