Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) is the molecule that carries genetic instructions in all living things. The information in DNA is responsible for the development and function of the organism.
The DNA molecule consists of two strands that wind around one another to form a shape known as a double helix.
Each strand has a backbone made of alternating sugar (deoxyribose) and phosphate groups.
Attached to each sugar is one of four bases--adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T).
The two strands are held together by bonds between the bases; adenine bonds with thymine, and cytosine bonds with guanine.
The sequence of the bases along the backbones serves as instructions for assembling protein and RNA molecules.