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Nucleic Acids

  • Reference work entry
Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

Synonyms

DNA; Polydeoxyribonucleotide; Polyribonucleotide; RNA

Keywords

Adenine, adenosine, cytidine, cytosine, deoxyribose, DNA, guanine, guanosine, phosphate, purine, pyrimidine, ribose, RNA, thymidine, thymine, uracil, uridine

Definition

Nucleic acids are long, unbranched polymers of nucleotides. Each nucleotide monomer consists of a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar, plus a phosphate group. Nucleotides polymerize by chemically linking a phosphate group at the 5′ position of one nucleotide to the hydroxyl group at the 3′ position of the next nucleotide. The linkage creates a phosphodiester bond, releasing a water molecule. In its two principle forms, ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), nucleic acids store, transcribe, and translate genetic information into the diverse array of proteins needed for execution of almost every cellular process.

Overview

The large, complex molecules of life are carbon-based, and fall into four broad categories: carbohydrates, lipids,...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0400, USA

    Jessica C. Bowman & Loren Dean Williams

Authors
  1. Jessica C. Bowman
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  2. Loren Dean Williams
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Loren Dean Williams .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Astrophysicist, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux, BP 89, 33270, Floirac, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  2. Departamento de Planetología y Habitabilidad Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Campus Cantoblanco, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28049, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  3. Department of Astrophysics, Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC) Ctra de Ajalvir km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Rd. NW, Washington, DC, 20015, USA

    Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II

  5. Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts Lederle Graduate Research, 710 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA, 01003-9305, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. GEOTOP & Départment des Sciences de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888, succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada

    Daniele L. Pinti

  7. Astrobiology, CNES/DSP/EU, 2 place Maurice-Quentin, 75039, Paris, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Bowman, J.C., Williams, L.D. (2011). Nucleic Acids. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_1079

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