Free Article: Nucleic Acid Metabolism

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Understanding Nucleic Acid Metabolism
By M. A. Fulmar

If you want to understand biological processes such as growth, inheritance and metabolism, you also need to learn about the molecules involved within each process. This article will explain the metabolism of nucleic acid and the molecules behind this metabolic process.

Nucleic acid metabolism is the process wherein nucleotides are synthesized and degraded. Nucleotides are chemical compounds that consist of sugar, heterocyclic base and phosphate groups. These nucleotides are the “binders” of nucleus acids that link to other nucleotides to create nucleic acid.

Nucleic acid, on the other hand, is a complex macromolecule that contains nucleotide chains to provide genetic information (DNA and RNA). Nucleic acids are found on all living cells as well as viruses.

Within the cells, these nucleotides play a large role in metabolism and energy production. Nucleotides are important in nucleic acid metabolism because they are the integral structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid) – two most common types of nucleic acids. DNA is the carrier of a living thing's genetic information, while RNA serves as a messenger involved in protein synthesis.

Two Processes Involved In Nucleic Acid Metabolism

The metabolism of nucleic acid involves two processes that have opposite goals. First, it involves an anabolic (the process of building large molecules from smaller units) mechanism that usually involves a chemical reaction from pentose sugar, phosphate and nitrogen base. During this process, the mechanism leads toward the “building up” of organs and tissues.

On the other hand, the other process involved in nucleic acid metabolism focuses on the destruction of nucleic acid through enzyme reactions. Unlike nucleic acid synthesis, this catabolic process aim on breaking down large molecules into smaller ones.

The catabolic part of metabolism may be called “destructive”, but it is an essential part of cell metabolism. For example, muscle proteins are broken down so that your body can use these amino acids for glucose that will be used for body fuel. Another example of catabolic process is the breakdown of fats into fatty acids.

However, since the anabolic process of nucleic acid metabolism hinders the goals of the catabolic process and vice versa, these processes do not occur simultaneously in the cells. Instead, there are certain signals that turns on the catabolic process as the anabolic process is switched off, and vice versa. These signals include hormones, molecules involved in the metabolism of nucleic acid and other factors.

Author Details:
M. A. Fulmar writes about health matters for various websites including, The A to Z of and Information Junkie.

Source: Directory of Free Articles About Health

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