DNA - Structure, Function, and Replication

Watson and Crick proposed the double helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, in 1953. Since then, scientists have learned how DNA is constructed and replicated during the synthesis phase of interphase. DNA holds the code for all life. Without DNA, the proteins needed in an organism’s body to heal and replace dying cells, as well as to make enzymes for chemical reactions essential for homeostasis, would not be generated.

DNA is a nucleic acid composed of two long chains of nucleotides that are connected together to make a double helix shape, often referred to as a twisted ladder. The nucleotides are always found in equal amounts. The replication of DNA occurs in three main stages: unwinding, base pairing, and joining. DNA replication relies on the work of a few important enzymes as it is replicated.