Editing Biochemical Macromolecules (section)

== 4. Nucleic Acids: Information Storage ==

Nucleic acids are responsible for storing, transmitting, and helping express hereditary information.

* '''Monomer:''' Nucleotides. Each nucleotide consists of three parts: a 5-carbon sugar (ribose or deoxyribose), a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base (Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, Guanine, or Uracil).
* '''Polymer:''' Polynucleotides (DNA and RNA). They are linked by phosphodiester bonds, forming a sugar-phosphate backbone.
* '''Key Types:'''
** ''Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA):'' The stable, double-stranded archive of genetic information. Its two strands run antiparallel and are held together by hydrogen bonds between complementary bases (A pairs with T, C pairs with G).
** ''Ribonucleic Acid (RNA):'' Typically single-stranded. It functions primarily in interpreting the DNA code to synthesize proteins (mRNA, tRNA, rRNA) and sometimes acts as an enzyme (ribozymes).