The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Nucleic acids are macromolecules composed of polymerized nucleotides. Nucleotides, in turn, are structured of phosphoric acid, pentose sugars, and organic bases. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) most commonly exists as a double stranded helix. The genetic information of some viruses, bacteria, and all higher organisms is encoded in DNA, and the physical basis of heredity of these organisms is dependent upon the molecular structure of DNA.
DNA is transcribed into single stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA), which is then translated into protein. The conversion of the genetic information of a species into the fabric of that organism involves several kinds of RNA, viz., messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNAs (tRNA), and ribosomal RNAs (rRNA). The genetic material of some viruses is RNA.