Nucleic Acids Molecular Blueprints

We have seen the importance of amino acid sequence in determining protein structure and function. If the amino acid sequence in a protein is incorrect, the protein is unlikely to function properly. How do our bodies constantly synthesize the many thousands of different proteins—each with the correct amino acid sequence— that we need to survive What ensures that proteins have the correct amino acid sequence The answer to this question lies in nucleic acids. Nucleic acids contain a chemical code that specifies the correct amino acid sequences for proteins. Nucleic acids can be divided into two types deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA, which exists primarily in the nucleus of the cell and ribonucleic acid or RNA, which is found throughout the entire interior of the cell. 

DNA DNA is a polymer of nucleotides. Each nucleotide has three parts a sugar group, a phosphate group, and a base. Nucleotides are joined by phosphate linkages. 

Nucleotides link together via phosphate linkages to form nucleic acids. Every nucleotide in DNA has the same phosphate and sugar, but can have one of four different bases. In DNA, the four bases are adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T). 

Codon—sequence of three nucleotides and their associated bases. A codon codes for one amino acid. 

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Carbohydrates Sugar, Starch, and Fiber 696 19.7 Nucleic Acids Molecular Blueprints 716 ... 

With their work, Joyce et al. are bridging the gap between enzymatic RNA replication as envisaged by Szostak and the construction of replicating systems based on simple molecules. Using biology as a blueprint, chemists have started to explore molecular self-replication to establish the minimal requirements for translating the principles into synthetic systems and to elucidate whether relatively simple chemical structures are able to mimic the ability of nucleic acids to store and transmit information on a molecular level. " Additionally, the concept of making exact copies of a chemical entity in a nonlinear manner could have a sig-uificaut impact on the fabrication of molecular architectures... 

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