Nukleiinihappoanalyysejä

Nukleiinihappo is the Finnish term for nucleic acid. Nucleic acids are complex macromolecules essential for all known forms of life. They are polymers made up of repeating units called nucleotides. Each nucleotide consists of three components: a phosphate group, a pentose sugar (either deoxyribose or ribose), and a nitrogenous base.

There are two primary types of nucleic acids: deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). DNA, found mainly in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells, carries the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, functioning, and reproduction of all known organisms and many viruses. DNA typically exists as a double helix, with two strands of nucleotides wound around each other. The sequence of nitrogenous bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine) along the DNA strand encodes genetic information.

RNA, on the other hand, plays various roles in gene expression and regulation, as well as in protein synthesis. RNA is usually single-stranded and contains the sugar ribose instead of deoxyribose. Its nitrogenous bases are adenine, guanine, cytosine, and uracil, with uracil replacing thymine. Messenger RNA (mRNA) carries genetic information from DNA to ribosomes, transfer RNA (tRNA) helps decode mRNA into a protein, and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is a structural component of ribosomes. Both DNA and RNA are vital for heredity and the cellular machinery that sustains life.