Question
What are nucleic acids made from?
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GPT-4o mini
Nucleic acids, which include DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid), are made from long chains of nucleotides. Each nucleotide consists of three components:
1. **A phosphate group** - This is a phosphorus atom bonded to four oxygen atoms, and it contributes to the backbone of the nucleic acid structure.
2. **A sugar molecule** - In DNA, the sugar is deoxyribose, while in RNA, it is ribose. The sugar component provides a framework for the nucleotides and is part of the backbone, alternating with the phosphate groups.
3. **A nitrogenous base** - There are five primary nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G) found in DNA; and adenine (A), uracil (U), cytosine (C), and guanine (G) found in RNA. These bases are responsible for encoding genetic information and pair specifically (A with T in DNA, A with U in RNA, and C with G).
The sequence of these nitrogenous bases along the nucleic acid chain encodes genetic information that is essential for the functioning and reproduction of living organisms.
1. **A phosphate group** - This is a phosphorus atom bonded to four oxygen atoms, and it contributes to the backbone of the nucleic acid structure.
2. **A sugar molecule** - In DNA, the sugar is deoxyribose, while in RNA, it is ribose. The sugar component provides a framework for the nucleotides and is part of the backbone, alternating with the phosphate groups.
3. **A nitrogenous base** - There are five primary nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G) found in DNA; and adenine (A), uracil (U), cytosine (C), and guanine (G) found in RNA. These bases are responsible for encoding genetic information and pair specifically (A with T in DNA, A with U in RNA, and C with G).
The sequence of these nitrogenous bases along the nucleic acid chain encodes genetic information that is essential for the functioning and reproduction of living organisms.
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