Chromosomes
The double helical structure of the DNA is usually too long (almost 2 meters in length) to be placed in a nucleus linearly so the DNA is supercoiled to make it fit into the space of the nucleus. As the DNA is helical, whenever it is rotated any further it will coil many times upon itself forming a super coil. This coiling is assisted by proteins to make the long thread compactly packed to fit inside the nucleus. These packed structures are found in the form of thread-like structures called chromosomes.
DNA: Structure, Types, and Functions
DNA structure is made of nucleotide base pairs (other than RNA). DNA is the hereditary material that is possessed by all the organisms found on the Earth except certain virus species. DNA functions involve the transfer of genetic information from generation to generation.
The full form of DNA is Deoxyribonucleic acid which stands; ‘deoxy’ stands for missing oxygen, ‘ribo’ stands for ribose sugar, ‘nucleic’ represents the nucleus of a cell, and ‘acid’ represents the acidic nature of DNA due to phosphorus. In this article, we will cover DNA structure and functions, its types, and importance.
Table of Content
- What is DNA?
- Who Discovered DNA?
- Properties of DNA
- Structure of DNA
- Chromosomes
- Types of DNA
- Functions of DNA
- Difference between RNA and DNA
- DNA as the Genetic Material
- Importance of DNA
- DNA Replication