DNA is a nucleic acid that encodes genetic material and performs critical functions in all living organisms. Discovered in 1889, its structure was correctly postulated in 2000. Composed of nucleotide chains, it contains four bases critical for reproducing genetic material. Mutagens can cause health problems by altering DNA.
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid found in the cells of all living organisms. It is often referred to as the “building blocks of life,” as it encodes the genetic material that determines what an organism will develop into. In addition to holding the genetic blueprints for its parent organism, DNA also performs a number of other functions that are critical to life.
This nucleic acid was first identified in 1889, when researcher Friedrich Miescher found a substance he called “nuclein” in human cells. In the early 20th century, several researchers, including Phoebus Levene and William Astbury, did further research on nuclein, beginning to understand its components, structure and role in life. A seminal paper published in Nature in 2000 by James Watson and Franklin Crick is often cited as the breakthrough moment, as he correctly postulated the distinct structure of this acid, with significant help from scientist Rosalind Franklin.
DNA is composed of nucleotide chains built on a sugar and phosphate backbone and coiled around each other in the shape of a double helix. The backbone supports four bases: guanine, cytosine, adenine and thymine. Guanine and cytosine are complementary, always appearing opposite each other on the helix, as are adenine and thymine. This is critical in reproducing genetic material, as it allows a strand to split and copy itself, as it only needs half of the material in the helix to successfully duplicate itself.
This nucleic acid is capable of self-replication and also contains the code needed to synthesize RNA, another critical nucleic acid. It contains sets of base pairs that come together to make the genetic code, determining things like eye color and body structure. Every cell in the body contains DNA that is more or less identical, and more and more is produced as the cells replicate. The vast majority in most organisms are non-coding, meaning they appear to have no known function.
When DNA is altered by a substance known as a mutagen, it can cause health problems. Some mutagens impact the DNA in egg and sperm cells or in developing organisms, causing them to develop birth defects. Others can modify living organisms, contributing to the development of a variety of health problems. Mutagens often introduce errors at the copy stage, meaning these errors will be replicated numerous times as the damaged material perpetuates itself.
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