what is DNA like?

来源:百度知道 编辑:UC知道 时间:2024/05/15 02:05:43
用英语回答

DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid, and it controls the biological inheritance of a person.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid —usually in the form of a double helix— that contains the genetic instructions specifying the biological development of all cellular forms of life, and most viruses. DNA is a long polymer of nucleotides and encodes the sequence of the amino acid residues in proteins using the genetic code, a triplet code of nucleotides.

In complex eukaryotic cells such as those from plants, animals, fungi and protists, most of the DNA is located in the cell nucleus. By contrast, in simpler cells called prokaryotes, including the eubacteria and archaea, DNA is not separated from the cytoplasm by a nuclear envelope. The cellular organelles known as chloroplasts and mitochondria also carry DNA.

DNA is often referred to as the molecule of heredity as it is responsible for the genetic propagation of most inherited traits. In humans, t