Question

Is genetic material made of protein or DNA?

Answer 1

Genetic material:

1. It is the hereditary substance that controls the formation and expression of traits in the organism.
2. It replicates and passes information from the parent generation to the next generation.

DNA:

1. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a polymer made of two polynucleotide chains that coil around one another to form a double helix and which carries the genetic material required for all known organisms to develop, function, grow, and reproduce.
2. The DNA molecule is a polymer composed of units called nucleotides.
3. Each nucleotide in the DNA molecule is made up of three different substances, including sugar, phosphate groups, and nitrogen bases.
4. The sugar and phosphate groups link the nucleotides together to form a single strand of DNA.
5. Because of the following reasons, DNA is referred to as the genetic material, it is capable of replication, it is more stable chemically and structurally, it can mutate and the mendelian character can be expressed through DNA.
6. On the other hand, proteins cannot replicate themselves, but they can induce other entities to replicate (prions).
7. Additionally, proteins are not a biological means of transmitting genetic information from one generation to the next.
8. Therefore, the genetic material is made up of DNA.