DNA

DNA deoxyribonucleic acid; polynucleotide consisting of a long chain of nucleotides (q.v.) formed from the sugar group deoxyribose and the bases adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine. In DNA there are normally two polynucleotide chains which spiral around each other in a double helix. DNA is the basis for the genetic information encoded in the genome and in genetic material.