What Is the Purpose of DNA?

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the genetic molecule that provides the structure and functions of your body. It stores long-term information to build and repair cells, replicates itself for cell division and transfers information to other cells. DNA is found primarily in the cells' nucleus and the mitochondria, which are the command center and energy generator in your cells, respectively. DNA is vital to all known living organisms on this planet, with the exceptions of certain viruses.

Properties

• DNA is made up of a type of sugar molecules and phosphate molecule that forms the mainframe of the DNA molecule. Between the strands of sugar and phosphate molecules are four types of bases that are linked to each other in different combinations of three. These bases are adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine which link two strands of DNA together to form a double helix. It resembles a twisted ladder in which the rungs are the bases and the sides of the ladder are the sugar and phosphate mainframe.

Information Storage

• Genetic information that provides instructions for cells to perform their specific tasks are stored in the bases of the DNA. Some information can influence the visible traits or characteristics of an organism, such as the color of your eyes, the number of digits you have and your height. Other information contributes to normal biological functions, such as protein synthesis, immune system maintenance and hormone production and regulation. If your DNA gets damaged or mutated, it can have negative health effects that can make you vulnerable to diseases or unable to repair damaged tissues, explains physiologist Stuart Fox, author of the "Human Physiology" series.

Replication

• DNA is able to replicate itself during growth and development stages on an organism or to repair damage tissues. During cell division, the DNA strand is split into two halves in the nucleus. A special enzyme in the cell forms complementary strands for each halves, creating two new DNAs with exact genetic sequences as the original DNA. Thus, each daughter cell gets an exact same copy of DNA as the parent cell.

Translation and Transciption

• Before a cell replicates, DNA in the parent cell must form complementary DNA to match with the separated strands via RNA -- or ribonucleic acid -- which acts as a messenger to form proper genetic sequencing and codes to form new DNA. This process of genetic coding and building new DNA is called translation and transcription, respectively, ensuring the new cells receive the identical DNA information as the parent cell.