ABSTRACT

Nucleic acids are wonder molecules, the most important molecules of life. Beginning with the landmark discovery by Watson and Crick of the principle of complementary interaction of nucleic acids, and continuing with the technological breakthrough of the following decades, research of nucleic acid structures and functions revolutionized all aspects of biology [1]. Elucidation of the mechanism of gene expression and discovery of enzymes manipulating deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) laid foundation to contemporary molecular biology and biotechnology. Genome sequencing data provided a basis for detailed research into metabolism, gene regulation, evolution, and pathology of biological organisms. Advances in nucleic acid syntheses, elaboration of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and molecular selection techniques have resulted in the development of a number of nucleic acidbased technologies. The enormous speci city of the complementary interactions of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and DNA fragments and oligonucleotides has provided the possibility of designing new materials, molecular machines and devices for the detection, isolation and sequencing analysis of nucleic acids, and manipulation of DNA and RNA and proteins. In this chapter, we present a brief outline concerning properties of nucleic acids, their roles in biological systems, and growing number of applications.