The full form of DNA is Deoxyribonucleic Acid. DNA is a collection of molecules that are responsible for passing and transporting inherited materials or genetic instructions from parents to children. DNA is an organic substance with a distinctive molecular makeup. Every eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell contains it. In 1869, while working on white blood cells, the Swiss researcher Johannes Friedrich Miescher discovered and identified DNA for the first time. James Watson and Francis Crick used experimental data to discover the double helix structure of a DNA molecule. Finally, it has been established that DNA is in charge of handling a person’s genetic data.
Type of Deoxyribonucleic Acid(DNA)
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Different types of DNA are:
- A – DNA
It is a right-handed DNA, and dehydrated DNA assumes the form of an A form that preserves DNA under active conditions such as protein binding; desiccation also removes the DNA solvent.
- B – DNA
The most common DNA shape is B, which is a right-handed helix. Under normal physiological settings, the vast majority of DNA has a type B shape.
- Z – DNA
Alexander Rich and Andres Wang discovered Z-DNA, a left-handed DNA in which the double helix coils to the left in a zigzag manner. Z – DNA is found ahead of the beginning location of a gene and is therefore thought to play a role in gene regulation.
Functions of DNA
- All of the inherited information is stored in DNA, which is made up of nitrogen-based building blocks.
- DNA transmits genetic information from one cell to its daughters and from generation to generation.
- Each person has a unique DNA sequence that does not match that of other people. In DNA fingerprinting, a technique for identifying a person from their DNA, this DNA characteristic is used.
- DNA affects cellular metabolism through the use of hormones, enzymes, and certain RNAs.