What Does DNA Mean
DNA is an acronym that corresponds to deoxyribonucleic acid : the biopolymer that houses the data for the synthesis of proteins and that makes up the genetic material that cells have.
It can be said that DNA presents the genetic information that living things use to function. This nucleic acid also enables data to be transmitted through inheritance .
DNA is often compared with a code , since it acts as a guide with the instructions for the construction of the rest of the components of the cells. Each segment of DNA that contains this data is called a gene .
Being a biopolymer, DNA is made up of multiple simple units that are related to each other, forming a chain. The different elements that make up DNA are nucleotides , in turn made up of a phosphate group , a nitrogenous base and a sugar .
Nucleotides are distinguished from each other according to their nitrogen base, which can be guanine , cytosine , thymine or adenine . Depending on how these bases are arranged in the chain of DNA encoding genetic data occurs.
Using the data held by DNA requires that the information be first copied into ribonucleic acid ( RNA ). The copying is known as transcription. RNA molecules are analyzed in the nucleus of cells and then leave the cytoplasm for use.
Scientific research on DNA allows the development of medical treatments and the modification of microorganisms, among many other issues.
There are several types of DNA-related diseases . These are the so-called genetic diseases , that is, those that occur as a result of some DNA alteration. In general, they do not occur due to having acquired parental characteristics, that is, they are not related to the genes of the parents.
Within this group we can find the following:
* Monogenic diseases : are those that occur due to different DNA alterations or mutations only in one gene;
* polygenic diseases : they occur as a result of mutations in more than one gene, usually of several chromosomes, in combination with various environmental factors;
* Chromosomal diseases : they occur as a consequence of certain alterations in the chromosomes. One of the most popularly known is Down syndrome , characterized by the existence of one more copy of chromosome 21;
* Mitochondrial diseases : these disorders are generated when the mitochondrial DNA undergoes an alteration, and can cause problems in various parts of the body, since the mitochondria of the human body have their own DNA. In this case, only women can transfer the diseases.
One of the most common genetic diseases is cystic fibrosis , which tends to especially affect white individuals. Broadly speaking, it is characterized by the absence of a certain protein and by the inability of the body to restrict the chloride balance. Its symptoms include lung infections and reproductive disorders. One of its peculiarities is that it only occurs when both parents are carriers .
On the other hand, there is Huntington's disease (which usually appears simply with its acronym, EH ). It causes the cells of the central nervous system and the brain to degenerate , with terrible consequences, such as swallowing difficulties, inability to control body movement, changes in behavior, memory loss, and difficulty in maintaining balance and expressing oneself .
The Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a related illness with DNA. Generally, it manifests before 6 years of age, and is characterized by muscle weakness and fatigue, first in the legs and then in the rest of the body , until leaving those affected prostrate in a wheelchair at the beginning of their life. adolescence.