DNA (d   n-  )n. A nucleic acid that carries the genetic information in the cell and is capable of self-replication and synthesis of RNA. DNA consists of two long chains of nucleotides twisted into a double helix and joined by hydrogen bonds between the complementary bases adenine and thymine or cytosine and guanine. The sequence of nucleotides determines individual hereditary characteristics. |   double-helix DNA model A. adenine T. thymine C. cytosine G. guanine D. deoxyribose P. phosphate |
DNA
n
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biochemistry) deoxyribonucleic acid; a nucleic acid that is the main constituent of the chromosomes of all organisms (except some viruses). The DNA molecule consists of two polynucleotide chains in the form of a double helix, containing phosphate and the sugar deoxyribose and linked by hydrogen bonds between the complementary bases adenine and thymine or cytosine and guanine. DNA is self-replicating, plays a central role in protein synthesis, and is responsible for the transmission of hereditary characteristics from parents to offspring See also genetic code
| DNA (dn-) Short for deoxyribonucleic acid. The nucleic acid that is the genetic material determining the makeup of all living cells and many viruses. It consists of two long strands of nucleotides linked together in a structure resembling a ladder twisted into a spiral. In eukaryotic cells, the DNA is contained in the nucleus (where it is bound to proteins known as histones) and in mitochondria and chloroplasts. In the presence of the enzyme DNA polymerase and appropriate nucleotides, DNA can replicate itself. DNA also serves as a template for the synthesis of RNA in the presence of RNA polymerase. Compare RNA. See Note at histone. |  adenine (a), cytosine (c), guanine (g), and thymine (t) |
DNA
deoxyribonucleic acid.
See also: Heredity
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  DNA - (biochemistry) a long linear polymer found in the nucleus of a cell and formed from nucleotides and shaped like a double helix; associated with the transmission of genetic information; "DNA is the king of molecules"cistron, gene, factor - (genetics) a segment of DNA that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain; it can include regions preceding and following the coding DNA as well as introns between the exons; it is considered a unit of heredity; "genes were formerly called factors" operon - a segment of DNA containing adjacent genes including structural genes and an operator gene and a regulatory gene biochemistry - the organic chemistry of compounds and processes occurring in organisms; the effort to understand biology within the context of chemistry base pair - one of the pairs of chemical bases joined by hydrogen bonds that connect the complementary strands of a DNA molecule or of an RNA molecule that has two strands; the base pairs are adenine with thymine and guanine with cytosine in DNA and adenine with uracil and guanine with cytosine in RNA adenine, A - (biochemistry) purine base found in DNA and RNA; pairs with thymine in DNA and with uracil in RNA cDNA, complementary DNA - single-stranded DNA that is complementary to messenger RNA or DNA that has been synthesized from messenger RNA by reverse transcriptase episome - DNA that is not incorporated into the genome but is replicated together with the genome (especially in bacterial cells) coding DNA, exon - sequence of a gene's DNA that transcribes into protein structures; "exons are interspersed with introns" intron, noncoding DNA - sequence of a eukaryotic gene's DNA that is not translated into a protein junk DNA - stretches of DNA that do not code for genes; "most of the genome consists of junk DNA" recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid, recombinant DNA - genetically engineered DNA made by recombining fragments of DNA from different organisms sticky end - an end of DNA in which one strand of the double helix extends a few units beyond the other jumping gene, transposon - a segment of DNA that can become integrated at many different sites along a chromosome (especially a segment of bacterial DNA that can be translocated as a whole) nucleic acid - (biochemistry) any of various macromolecules composed of nucleotide chains that are vital constituents of all living cells polymer - a naturally occurring or synthetic compound consisting of large molecules made up of a linked series of repeated simple monomers |
Translations
DNA
A. N ABBR =deoxyribonucleic acid → ADN m
DNA abbr of de(s)oxyribonucleic acid → DNS f
DNA:
DNA:
DNA fingerprinting, DNA profiling
DNA test
n (Med) → Gentest m
DNA testing
n → DNS-Tests pl
DNA [diːɛnˈeɪ] n abbr =deoxyribonucleic acid → DNA m
DNA [diːɛnˈeɪ] n abbr =deoxyribonucleic acid → DNA m
DNA [diːɛnˈeɪ] n abbr =deoxyribonucleic acid → DNA m
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