Deoxyribonucleic Acid

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-007650",
  "term": "Deoxyribonucleic Acid",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. DNA is the chemical name for the molecule that carries genetic instructions in all living things. The DNA molecule consists of two strands that wind around one another to form a shape known as a double helix. Each strand has a backbone made of alternating sugar (deoxyribose) and phosphate groups. Attached to each sugar is one of four bases--adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T). The two strands are held together by bonds between the bases; adenine bonds with thymine, and cytosine bonds with guanine. The sequence of the bases along the backbones serves as instructions for assembling protein and RNA molecules.\n\n2. The substance of heredity; a large molecule that carries the genetic information that cells need to replicate and to produce proteins. The nucleic acid that constitutes the genetic material of all cellular organisms and DNA viruses. The genetic information is used in the synthesis of ribonucleic acids (RNAs) from DNA templates (transcription) and in the synthesis of proteins from messenger RNA (mRNA) templates (translation).\n\n3. The molecules inside cells that carry genetic information and pass it from one generation to the next.",
  "abbreviation": "DNA",
  "references": [
    "NIH Genetics Home Reference Glossary",
    "EPA Potential Implications of Genomics for Regulatory and Risk Assessment Applications at EPA Glossary. EPA Science Policy Council at http://www.epa.gov/osa/pdfs/EPA-Genomics-White-Paper.pdf. Quotation from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Understanding Gene Testing, Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/deoxyribonucleic-acid/"
}