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Importance of Nucleic Acids
by Liz Veloz
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Overview
Along with proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, nucleic acids are one of the four categories of macromolecules, or large molecules, necessary for life. Nucleic acids play a critical role in the storage and function of genetic information in all living organisms.
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History
Nucleic acids were discovered by Swiss physician Friedrich Miescher in 1871. This discovery paved the way for later work that identified DNA as the source of genetic information in people and most other organisms.
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Types
Nucleic acids are the building blocks of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). RNA and DNA are the molecules that store and transmit genetic information.
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Features
Nucleic acids consist of nucleotide bases. Cytosine, guanine, adenine and thymine are the bases that make up DNA. In RNA, the nucleotide urasil replaces thymine.
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Function
Nucleotide bases store and transmit genetic information by forming complementary base pairs. Cytosine is always paired with guanine and adenine is always paired with thymine (or uracil in RNA).
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Significance
Complementary base pairing provides the mechanism for transmitting the information stored in DNA (or RNA in some organisms). Because only one pairing can occur for each nucleotide, cells can make "blueprints" of the genetic information stored in the DNA and carry out these "instructions" to make proteins responsible for all of life's functions.
