Nucleic acids are biomolecules found in the nuclei of all living cells, as one of the constituents of chromosomes. There are mainly two types of nucleic acids- deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). Nucleic acids are also known as polynucleotides as they are long- chain polymers of nucleotides.
Two main functions of nucleic acid are:
1. DNA is responsible for the transmission of inherent characters from one generation to the next. This process of transmission is called heredity.
2. Nucleic acids- (both DNA and RNA) are responsible for protein synthesis in the cell. Even though the proteins are actually synthesised by the. various RNA molecules in a cell, the message for the synthesis of a particular protein is present in DNA.
