nucleic acids

Cultural  

1. Organic molecule (see also organic molecule) found in the nuclei of cells. DNA and RNA, the best-known nucleic acids, govern heredity and the chemical processes in the cell.

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Example Sentences

They added a molecular tag to the spherical nucleic acids that glowed under near-infrared light.

From Science Daily • Nov. 22, 2025

Cells use RNA, a single-stranded string of nucleic acids that translates blueprints encoded in DNA into the production of proteins.

From New York Times • Jun. 12, 2024

The researchers had the broad idea of using a bioconjugation approach that would allow the proteins to be loaded into lipid nanoparticles, which form around nucleic acids.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2024

One drug, M5049, or Enpatoran, appears to work by latching onto two human receptors, TLR7 and TLR8, and preventing them from binding nucleic acids.

From Science Daily • May 23, 2024

We both use nucleic acids for heredity; we both use proteins as enzymes to control the chemistry of our cells.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan