Definition: The molecule that encodes genetic information. DNA is a double-stranded molecule held together by weak bonds between base pairs of nucleotides.
The four nucleotides in DNA contain the bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). In nature, base pairs form only between A and T and between G and C; thus the base sequence of each single strand can be deduced from that of its partner.
See also
DNA repair
DNA methylation
DNA damage response pathways
DNA glycosylases
DNA double-strand break
DNA helicases
DNA damage
DNA loops
DNA repair nucleases
oxidative stress
DNA ligases
DNA mismatch repair
DNA double-strand break repair
DNA replication
DNA repair diseases
DNA methyltransferases
DNA hypermethylation
genome integrity
References
Szathmary E. Why are there four letters in the genetic alphabet? Nat Rev Genet. 2003 Dec;4(12):995-1001. PMID: 14631359