Nucleic Acids Essay Number Two 2

Nabil Ahmed Khatri: Nucleic Acids Essay Number Two What are Nucleic Acids? Nucleic acids are organic compounds which are made up of phosphorus, nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The main function of nucleic acids is to store and transmit genetic information. The monomer unit of nucleic acids is nucleotides. Nucleotides are composed of a phosphate group, a five-carbon sugar, as well as a nitrogenous base. There are four different nitrogenous bases and each is found in a DNA molecule. These four types include adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. In a typical pair of bases, a cytosine is always attached to a guanine while an adenine is always attached to a thymine. The two types of nucleic acids are RNA and DNA. Generally, RNA and DNA are found in the nucleus of a cell. The first type of nucleic acid is a ribonucleic acid or otherwise known as RNA. RNA is vital because without it, the DNA molecule would not be able to control all the activities of cells in an organism. However, unlike the structure of the DNA molecule which is made up of many strands or chains, the structure of the RNA molecule only consists of a single strand. Also, unlike DNA which has thymine as a base, RNA is replaced by uracil. The part of the cell that produces RNA is the nucleolus which is located in the nucleus. The nucleolus is also the site of protein synthesis. The other type of nucleic acid is deoxyribonucleic acid or otherwise known as DNA. DNA is genetic information that is passed on every generation. It is very powerful because it directs the cell’s activities. DNA is also essential for the development and growth of organisms. The DNA molecule consists of long chains and is coiled up into a double helix.

1

Nabil Ahmed Khatri: Nucleic Acids Essay Number Two There are many differences between RNA and DNA. As I already pointed out, unlike the RNA molecule which is single stranded, the DNA molecule has many strands. Also, DNA does not have uracil; however, RNA does have uracil which is a replacement of thymine. The two nucleic acids are also found in different places of the cell. DNA is found in the nucleus. However, RNA is found in the nucleolus or in other words, the central part of the nucleus. The last difference is that RNA contains a sugar ribose. On the other hand, DNA contains a sugar deoxyribose. Therefore, nucleic acids are just as important as any of the other macromolecules which are proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. Nucleic acids are important because they transmit hereditary information. There also two types of nucleic acids which are RNA and DNA. RNA is important because without it, the DNA molecule would not be able to control all the activities of cells in an organism. DNA is important because it is essential for the development and of organisms. Just think about it, where would we be without the wonderful nucleic acids?

[A Nucleic Acid Structure]

2