DNA

American  

1. Genetics. deoxyribonucleic acid: an extremely long macromolecule that is the main component of chromosomes and is the material that transfers genetic characteristics in all life forms, constructed of two nucleotide strands coiled around each other in a ladderlike arrangement with the sidepieces composed of alternating phosphate and deoxyribose units and the rungs composed of the purine and pyrimidine bases adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine: the genetic information of DNA is encoded in the sequence of the bases and is transcribed as the strands unwind and replicate.

2. the set of nongenetic traits, qualities, or features that characterize a person or thing.

   Humility is just not in her DNA.

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DNA British  

noun

1. deoxyribonucleic acid; a nucleic acid that is the main constituent of the chromosomes of all organisms (except some viruses). The DNA molecule consists of two polynucleotide chains in the form of a double helix, containing phosphate and the sugar deoxyribose and linked by hydrogen bonds between the complementary bases adenine and thymine or cytosine and guanine. DNA is self-replicating, plays a central role in protein synthesis, and is responsible for the transmission of hereditary characteristics from parents to offspring See also genetic code

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abbreviation

1. did not attend

DNA Scientific  

/ dē′ĕn-ā′ /

1. Short for deoxyribonucleic acid. The nucleic acid that is the genetic material determining the makeup of all living cells and many viruses. It consists of two long strands of nucleotides linked together in a structure resembling a ladder twisted into a spiral. In eukaryotic cells, the DNA is contained in the nucleus (where it is bound to proteins known as histones) and in mitochondria and chloroplasts. In the presence of the enzyme DNA polymerase and appropriate nucleotides, DNA can replicate itself. DNA also serves as a template for the synthesis of RNA in the presence of RNA polymerase.

2. Compare RNA See Note at histone

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DNA Cultural  

1. The molecule that carries genetic information in all living systems (see genetic code). The DNA molecule is formed in the shape of a double helix from a great number of smaller molecules (see nucleotides). The workings of the DNA molecule provide the most fundamental explanation of the laws of genetics. DNA acts in three important way. First, when a cell divides, the DNA uncoils, and each strand creates a new partner from the surrounding material — a process called replication. The two cells that result from the cell division have the same DNA as the original (see mitosis). Second, in sexual reproduction, each parent contributes one of the two strands in the DNA of the offspring. Third, inside the cell, the DNA governs the production of proteins and other molecules essential to cell function.

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Usage

What is DNA? DNA is a large, complex molecule that allows cells to function and carries the genetic code that determines the traits of a living organism.DNA is in every cell of every living thing. Some viruses also have DNA.Life as we know it wouldn’t exist without DNA—it contains the instructions that cells need to function. DNA is found in the cell nucleus, and every cell in an organism has the exact same copy of DNA that is in every other cell. Each cell uses its copy of DNA whenever it needs to make a protein. Proteins have many essential jobs within a living thing. For example, your immune system produces proteins called antibodies to fight germs.The information that’s in DNA controls the development of specific traits, such as the shape of a leaf or the color of hair. Specifically, such traits are determined by genes, which are segments of DNA within strands called chromosomes. The set of all information contained in the DNA of any living thing—all of its inheritable traits—is called its genome.DNA is an abbreviation of deoxyribonucleic acid. It is a type of macromolecule (a very large molecule—one composed of hundreds of thousands of atoms) known as a nucleic acid. Nucleic acids are made of smaller molecules known as nucleotides, which are made of a phosphate, a sugar, and nitrogen bases. The four nitrogen bases in DNA are adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C).DNA has a shape known as a double helix, which resembles a spiraled ladder. The DNA ladder is built from two very long strands of nucleotides with the nitrogen bases pairing together to form the rungs of the ladder. The bases form base pairs, with adenine always paired to thymine and guanine always paired to cytosine. The phosphate and sugar within the nucleotide act as the sides of the ladder.Because DNA only exists within the cell’s nucleus, the genetic information must be distributed somehow. This is one of the roles of RNA, which is a macromolecule that works alongside DNA to make proteins. During this process, RNA acts as a kind of copy of the DNA that carries its genetic information outside of the cell nucleus.We took a microscopic look at the differences between DNA, RNA, and mRNA, and their vital roles. Read all about it here!

Etymology

Origin of DNA

First recorded in 1930–35; d(eoxyribo)n(ucleic) a(cid)

Compare meaning

How does dna compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• DNA vs. RNA
• DNA vs. RNA polymerase
• cDNA vs. DNA

Example Sentences

Yet the glass fiber filters used to trap airborne particles also preserved traces of DNA from pollen, spores, and other microscopic biological material.

From Science Daily

These switches are strings of DNA called enhancers.

From Science Daily

“We actually do a DNA test on the infant to determine paternity because we don’t know.”

From Los Angeles Times

Scientists' latest discovery is based on DNA analysis of the skeleton, which has been radiocarbon dated to between 129 and 311 AD.

From BBC

For years, scientists have relied heavily on "genome-wide association studies," which scan the DNA of thousands of people to find statistical links between genetic differences and traits, including disease risk.

From Science Daily