Twin Nucleic Acids
Proteins play many roles within the cell:
- Structural proteins constitute the cell’s framework,
- Defensive proteins (antibodies) neutralize microbes that try to invade it,
- Transport proteins carry oxygen to it,
- Enzyme proteins promote certain chemical reactions within the cell.
The complex protein molecules are manufactured from smaller molecules, called amino acids. The sequences of amino acids in proteins are determined by the building (code) plans, or blueprints, contained in the DNA’s Twin, RNA.
A Purine/Pyrimidine attached to a sugar is called a nucleoside. A nucleoside attached to a phosphate group is called a nucleotide.
The twin nucleic acids, DNA (Deoxy-ribo-Nucleic Acid) and RNA (Ribo-Nucleic Acid) are long chains composed of only 2 different nitrogen base molecules.
Each nucleotide consists of a base plus a pentagon shaped (4 carbon + 1 oxygen atoms) sugar that is connected to 1 or 2 phosphate groups. These phosphates act as bridges between adjacent sugars. Below:
Nucleotides are important for every organism on Earth. These special molecules are also involved in enzyme reactions in the body, production of chemical energy, and cell 2 cell signaling.
Linked together, they form a nucleic acid, called a polymer. An organism’s genetic code can have billions of base pairs.
DNA consists of coils of code with a unique and consistent current flowing through it. The current sets up small magnetic fields, which allows for the transfer of information through magnetism. It twists in reaction to the attraction and repulsion of the basepairs’ magnetic polarization.
