DNA

Abbreviation of deoxyribonucleic acid, a long molecule that encodes the information needed for a cell to function or a virus to replicate. Forms a double-helix shape that resembles a twisted ladder. Different chemicals called bases, abbreviated as A, C, T, and G, are found on each side of the ladder, or strand. The bases have an attraction for each other, making A stick to T while C sticks to G. These rungs of the ladder are called base pairs. The sequence of these letters is called the genetic code.