DNA
Your DNA is what makes you uniquely you. It's that double helix that your genes are made of. Your DNA accounts for why you resemble your parents and it distinguishes you from your pet frog and from everybody else.
DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, sometimes called "the molecule of life," as almost all organisms have their genetic material codified as DNA. Since each person’s DNA is unique, "DNA typing" is a valuable tool in connecting suspects to crime scenes. You can also use the word less scientifically, as in “it’s just not in my DNA to sit through six hours of meetings.”
Definitions of DNA
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(biochemistry) a long linear polymer found in the nucleus of a cell and formed from nucleotides and shaped like a double helix; associated with the transmission of genetic information“DNA is the king of molecules”
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synonyms:
deoxyribonucleic acid, desoxyribonucleic acid
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types:
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operon
a segment of DNA containing adjacent genes including structural genes and an operator gene and a regulatory gene
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cDNA, complementary DNA
single-stranded DNA that is complementary to messenger RNA or DNA that has been synthesized from messenger RNA by reverse transcriptase
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episome
DNA that is not incorporated into the genome but is replicated together with the genome (especially in bacterial cells)
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coding DNA, exon
sequence of a gene's DNA that transcribes into protein structures
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intron, noncoding DNA
sequence of a eukaryotic gene's DNA that is not translated into a protein
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junk DNA
stretches of DNA that do not code for genes
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recombinant DNA, recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid
genetically engineered DNA made by recombining fragments of DNA from different organisms
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sticky end
an end of DNA in which one strand of the double helix extends a few units beyond the other
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jumping gene, transposon
a segment of DNA that can become integrated at many different sites along a chromosome (especially a segment of bacterial DNA that can be translocated as a whole)
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provirus
cDNA copy of the RNA genome of a retrovirus; the genetic material of a virus as incorporated into and able to replicate with the genome of a host cell
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dscDNA
double-stranded cDNA
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type of:
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polymer
a naturally occurring or synthetic compound consisting of large molecules made up of a linked series of repeated simple monomers
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘DNA'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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