Question

The substance in the nucleus of the cell that stores and transmits genetic information is DNA, which stands for _________.

Short answer

DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid.

Step-by-step solution

Complete the acronym

To provide the full name for the abbreviation DNA, recall that it represents a molecule found in the nucleus of a cell, responsible for storing and transmitting genetic information.

Full term for DNA

DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic Acid. This molecule carries the genetic information necessary for the growth, development, and reproduction of living organisms.

Key concepts

Deoxyribonucleic Acid

Deoxyribonucleic Acid, commonly known as DNA, serves as the building block of life. It's a molecule that embodies the hereditary materials responsible for genetic traits in living organisms. Think of it like a blueprint that determines everything from your eye color to your susceptibility to certain diseases.

DNA is composed of two strands that wind around each other to form a double helix, which looks a bit like a twisted ladder. The sides of the ladder are made up of a sugar-phosphate backbone and the rungs consist of nucleotide pairs—adenine (A) with thymine (T) and cytosine (C) with guanine (G). These nucleotide pairs carry the code that is essential for life's functions and are crucial during cell replication.

Genetic Information

Genetic information is the set of instructions found within DNA that guides the development and functioning of all living organisms. It is essentially the biological data that parents pass down to their offspring. This information not only determines inherited characteristics but also plays a key role in cellular activities such as metabolism and immune response.

In humans, genetic information is packaged into 23 pairs of chromosomes, each containing thousands of genes. These genes are the units that encode specific proteins, and the creation of proteins is what allows cells to perform various functions, from building tissues to breaking down food.

Nucleus of the Cell

The nucleus can be thought of as the control center of a cell, housing most of the cell's genetic material in the form of DNA. This membrane-bound structure is responsible for maintaining the integrity of DNA and for controlling the activities of the cell by regulating gene expression—essentially, it decides which genes are turned on or off.

The nucleus is not just a storage compartment; it's an active site where DNA is constantly being read and transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA), which carries the instructions out into the cell for protein synthesis. This process is vital for cell growth, division, and specialization.