TNA (nucleic acid)

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TNA is threose nucleic acid, a chemical similar to DNA or RNA but differing in the composition of its "backbone." TNA is not known to occur naturally in existing life on Earth.

DNA and RNA have a deoxyribose and ribose sugar backbone, respectively, whereas TNA's backbone is composed of repeating threose units linked by peptide bonds. The threose molecule is easier to assemble than ribose making it a possible precursor to RNA.

DNA TNA hybrid chains have been made in the laboratory using DNA polymerase.

External links

[Was simple TNA the first nucleic acid on Earth to carry a genetic code?] - New scientist
[ORIGIN OF LIFE: A Simpler Nucleic Acid] Leslie Orgel

References

Nucleic acids [http://encycl.opentopia.com/ edit]
Nucleobases: Adenine \| Thymine \| Uracil \| Guanine \| Cytosine \| Purine \| Pyrimidine
Nucleosides: Adenosine \| Uridine \| Guanosine \| Cytidine \| Deoxyadenosine \| Thymidine \| Deoxyguanosine \| Deoxycytidine
Nucleotides: AMP \| UMP \| GMP \| CMP \| ADP \| UDP \| GDP \| CDP \| ATP \| UTP \| GTP \| CTP \| cAMP \| cGMP
Deoxynucleotides: dAMP \| dTMP \| dGMP \| dCMP \| dADP \| dTDP \| dGDP \| dCDP \| dATP \| dTTP \| dGTP \| dCTP
Nucleic acids: DNA \| mtDNA \| cDNA \| GNA \| RNA \| mRNA \| tRNA \| rRNA \| ncRNA \| sgRNA \| shRNA \| siRNA \| snRNA \| miRNA \| snoRNA \| LNA \| PNA \| TNA \| Oligonucleotide

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