The role of nucleic acids in heredity

Nucleic acid is a complex macromolecule that contains the genetic information

from the given cell. It is made up of thousands of nucleotides. The term nucleic
acid was first proposed by Richard Altmann to denote the complex substances he
had observed in the nucleus. Nucleic acid is a complex macromolecule that
contains the genetic information from the given cell. It is made up of thousands of
nucleotides. The term nucleic acid was first proposed by Richard Altmann to
denote the complex substances he had observed in the nucleus.

Natural nucleic acids: DNA and RNA

1. DNA = deoxyribonucleic acid

DNA is found in every cell of living beings and is essential to the identity of any
organism, from Euglena viridis, the small unicellular being on the border between
plants and animals, to Homo sapiens sapiens, contemporary man.
DNA is the "recipe" necessary for the synthesis of proteins, organic molecules
essential for living organisms;
1. A DNA molecule contains areas called genes, areas without function, as well
as areas with a still unknown role.

2. Deoxyribonucleic acid has a double propeller structure. The "ladder" is made

up of two elastic organic chains that are connected by the "steps" made by
the hydrogen bonds.

3. The "steps" are actually of only four kinds, uniting pairs of nitrogenous
bases, which can be four different types of organic molecules, adenine
(denoted A), cytosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T);

4. The sequence of bases is the canonical form of information, in other words,

nothing else is needed to fully describe a DNA sequence;
1. Duplication of the DNA molecule is possible by "undoing" the sequence
"along" it (the "steps" are disintegrated) by the action of some proteins; the
 two resulting strands are copied by a protein complex called DNA
polymerase. Since each base on the initial strand can only be combined with
its predetermined pair, the end result consists of two identical DNA
sequences, unless some errors occur that cause the genetic mutations;

2. Three pairs of nitrogenous bases normally form a "codon". It encodes an

amino acid. Several codons together encode a protein.

3. Mutations are nothing more than imperfections in the process of DNA

synthesis: a base is accidentally ignored ("skipped"), introduced or copied
imperfectly, or the chain is cut too early or bases are added to its ends; these
basic "operations" generate all possible mutations.
4. Genetic mutations are basically an alteration of some of the information in
the DNA molecule. It is enough, for example, to erase only a pair of
nitrogenous bases from a gene, so that the entire function of the gene is
abolished. If a pair of nitrogenous bases is erased, the codon to which it
belonged will encode another amino acid, which will encode another
protein, which, in the end (this is probably the case most often, but not
necessarily), can alter the latter's biological function. Mutations can have
three kinds of effects: negative, positive or neutral (they do not influence
functions either for better or for worse).

5. These mutations are caused either by so-called mutagenic factors (cosmic

radiation, chemicals, etc.) or by the imperfect fidelity of the enzymatic
synthesis (DNA polymerase) of DNA.

Genetic mutations can also be intentionally induced by specialists.

6.
DNA is found in practically any cell (exceptions: red blood cells
7.
(erythrocytes) and cells (fibers) of the eye lens are cells that do not become
functional until they lose (by expulsion, ejection) the nucleus (and other
organelles), at which point they cease to respond to the criteria that define a
living cell (because they can neither divide nor maintain ("repair")
structurally speaking):
from unicellular organisms such as bacteria or protozoa to multicellular organisms
(fungi, plant or animals),
1. as well as in the internal structure of some viruses.
8. The structure of DNA is unique not only for a particular species but also for
any individual of any animal or plant species.
9. In humans, DNA contains about 3.27 billion base pairs (3.27 billion "steps"
between the helical strands of the double spiral).

• The amount of DNA contained in cells (sometimes also called genetic

heritage) is not correlated with the complexity of the organism. Thus, for example,
there are species that are less "complex" than man, but with a more quantitatively
rich genetic heritage than that of man.

1. RNA = Ribonucleic acid

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is, like DNA, a polynucleotide formed by

copolymerization of ribonucleotides. A ribonucleotide consists of a nitrogenous
base (adenine A, guanine G, uracil U and cytosine C), a pentose (D-2-
deoxyribose) and a phosphate rest. In the RNA molecule uracil replaces thymine.
RNA is synthesized by the process called transcription. In this process, DNA acts
as a mold. The double catenary DNA molecule is unfolded, on the interval to be
transcribed, by certain protein complexes by breaking hydrogen bridges between
the complementary nitrogenous bases. A protein complex with enzymatic function
called RNA polymerase copies one of the DNA strands to produce a
complementary RNA. The strand of DNA that functions as a mold for RNA
synthesis is called a sense chain.
The synthesis of RNA (transcription) is based on the complementarity of
nitrogenous bases as in the case of replication of the DNA molecule with one
exception: next to the adenine on the strand of the DNA mold, the uracil will be
attached to the strand newly synthesized by RNA. The polymerization of
ribonucleotides in transcription is carried out in the same sense as the
polymerization reaction of deoxyribonucleotides within the dna replication,
namely from 5' to 3'.
The genome of some viruses consists of RNA. This category includes the flu
virus, the hepatitis C virus or the AIDS virus. The replication of these viruses is
done with a much lower fidelity, because in the case of RNA there is noprocess of
error correction, the high frequency of errors leading to a great genetic variability.
Heredity

Heredity is the property of all living organisms belonging to a species to give birth
to similar offspring or the ability of organisms to transmit certain hereditary
characters to the offspring , either through asexual reproduction or sexual
reproduction. Through the process of heredity, genetic variations accumulate and
can lead to evolution by natural selection of phenotypes (according to Darwin's
theory of evolution).
Hereditary characteristics are transmitted from generation to generation through
DNA, a molecule that preserves genetic information.
Before dividing a cell by mitosis, dna is copied, otherwise the resulting cell
inherits the DNA sequence. The part of a DNA molecule that specifies a single
functional unit is called a gene. Inside a cell, DNA chains form condensed
structures called chromosomes. Organisms inherit genetic material from parents in
the form of homologous chromosomes, which are made up of unique
combinations of DNA sequences. The specific place of a DNA sequence on a
chromosome is called the locus (plural, loci). Differences between different places
from one individual to another are called alleles. DNA sequences can be altered by
mutations, which lead to the production of new alleles. If the mutation occurs in
the sequence of a gene, then the new allele can affect the phenotype of the
individual. Some phenotypes are the consequences of a single allele, but most
phenotypes are complex and are controlled by several genes interacting with each
other.