DNA has a unique property of replication. Replication is a process by which a single DNA molecule produces two identical copies of itself.
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).
- DNA usually exists as a double-stranded structure, with both strands coiled together to form the characteristic double- helix.
- Every single strand of DNA is a chain of four types of nucleotides.
- Nucleotides in DNA contain deoxyribose sugar, phosphate, and nucleobase.
- The four types of nucleotide correspond to the four nucleobase adenine; cytosine, guanine, and thymine,
DNA replication
It is the process of producing two identical replicas from one original DNA molecule. This biological process occurs in all living organisms and is the basis for biological inheritance. DNA is made up of two strands. Each strand of the original DNA molecule serves as a template for the production of the complementary strand, a process referred to as semi-conservative replication.