Nucleic acid molecule is a long chain polymer (polynuleotide) composed of monomeric units called
nucleotides.The monomeric
units are joined by formation of phosphodiester bonds between adjacent
nucleotides.
J.D.Watson and F.H.C.Crick showed in 1953 that DNA has a double helical
structure with the polynucleotide chains connected by hydrogen bonds and running in opposite directions.The following generalizations could be made:
Number of A = Tand C = G.Adenine is bonded with thymine bytwo hydrogen bonds and guanine with cytosine by three hydrogen bonds.
X-ray crystallographic study of DNAby M.H.F. Wilkins showed that DNA is a helical structure with 20angstrom diameter and a pitch of 34 angstom units.The distance between two base pair units is 3.4 angstrom and there are 10 base pairs in each turn. The alternative forms of DNA are A-DNA,B-DNA, C-DNA,Z-DNA.
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