DNA and RNA as drug targets

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) are macromolecular polymers, each made up of four different nucleotides linked through 3′–5′ phosphodiester linkages (Figure 9.1A). The individual monomers that make up DNA are 2-deoxynucleotides that contain the nucleobases adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T), and cytidine (C). RNA monomers contain the bases adenine, guanine, uracil (U), and cytidine.