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Biology vocabulary · Genetics and Heredity

DNA

Meaning in biology, with examples

/ˌdiː en ˈeɪ/abbreviationCore term

In biology, DNA means: Short for deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that stores genetic information in every cell and in many viruses. It is made of two strands twisted into a double helix.

In Turkish: DNA, deoksiribonükleik asit

How it is used

Always said letter by letter (D-N-A) and almost never written in full. Common phrases: DNA sequence, DNA extraction, DNA sample, DNA damage. In the lab, people extract, amplify, sequence and purify DNA.

Example sentences

  1. We extracted DNA from the leaf samples and checked its quality on a gel.

  2. UV light can damage DNA and cause mutations.

Common collocations

  • DNA sequence
  • extract DNA
  • DNA sample
  • DNA damage
  • double-stranded DNA
  • geneA section of DNA that carries the instructions for making a particular protein or functional RNA. Genes are the basic units of heredity passed from parents to offspring.
  • RNAShort for ribonucleic acid, a usually single-stranded molecule that carries genetic information from DNA and helps build proteins. It contains uracil instead of thymine.
  • chromosomeA long, tightly packed structure of DNA and proteins that carries many genes. Human body cells normally have 46 chromosomes, arranged in 23 pairs.
  • nucleotideThe basic building block of DNA and RNA, made of a sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogen-containing base such as adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G) or cytosine (C).
  • genomeThe complete set of genetic material in an organism or cell, including all of its genes and the DNA between them.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Genetics and Heredity

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