ThreoseThreose is a tetrose carbohydrate with chemical formula 484. It has one aldehyde group and so is part of the aldose family. It exists in both D and L stereoisomers....
nucleic acid (TNA) is a
polymerA polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units typically connected by covalent chemical bonds. While polymer in popular usage suggests plastic, the term actually refers to a large class of natural and synthetic materials with a variety of properties.Due to the extraordinary...
similar to
DNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information...
or
RNARibonucleic acid is a biologically important type of molecule that consists of a long chain of nucleotide units. Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate...
but differing in the composition of its "backbone". TNA is not known to occur naturally.
DNA and RNA have a
deoxyriboseDeoxyribose, also known as
D-Deoxyribose and 2-deoxyribose, is an aldopentose — a monosaccharide containing five carbon atoms, and including an aldehyde functional group in its linear structure...
and
riboseRibose, primarily occurring as
D-ribose, is an organic compound that occurs widely in nature. It is an aldopentose, that is a monosaccharide containing five carbon atoms that, in its acyclic form, has an aldehyde functional group at one end. This species predominantly exists in the...
sugar backbone, respectively, whereas TNA's backbone is composed of repeating
threoseThreose is a tetrose carbohydrate with chemical formula 484. It has one aldehyde group and so is part of the aldose family. It exists in both D and L stereoisomers....
units linked by
phosphodiester bondA phosphodiester bond is a group of strong covalent bonds between a phosphate group and two other molecules over two ester bonds. Phosphodiester bonds are central to all life on Earth, as they make up the backbone of the strands of DNA...
s. 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.
TNA can specifically base pair with RNA and DNA; this capability and chemical simplicity suggests that TNA could have preceded RNA as genetic material.
TNA was the genetic building blocks of Towlie, the worlds first smart towel, in the American animated sitcom
South ParkSouth Park is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become infamous for its crude, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
.
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ThreoseThreose is a tetrose carbohydrate with chemical formula 484. It has one aldehyde group and so is part of the aldose family. It exists in both D and L stereoisomers....
nucleic acid (TNA) is a
polymerA polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units typically connected by covalent chemical bonds. While polymer in popular usage suggests plastic, the term actually refers to a large class of natural and synthetic materials with a variety of properties.Due to the extraordinary...
similar to
DNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information...
or
RNARibonucleic acid is a biologically important type of molecule that consists of a long chain of nucleotide units. Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate...
but differing in the composition of its "backbone". TNA is not known to occur naturally.
DNA and RNA have a
deoxyriboseDeoxyribose, also known as
D-Deoxyribose and 2-deoxyribose, is an aldopentose — a monosaccharide containing five carbon atoms, and including an aldehyde functional group in its linear structure...
and
riboseRibose, primarily occurring as
D-ribose, is an organic compound that occurs widely in nature. It is an aldopentose, that is a monosaccharide containing five carbon atoms that, in its acyclic form, has an aldehyde functional group at one end. This species predominantly exists in the...
sugar backbone, respectively, whereas TNA's backbone is composed of repeating
threoseThreose is a tetrose carbohydrate with chemical formula 484. It has one aldehyde group and so is part of the aldose family. It exists in both D and L stereoisomers....
units linked by
phosphodiester bondA phosphodiester bond is a group of strong covalent bonds between a phosphate group and two other molecules over two ester bonds. Phosphodiester bonds are central to all life on Earth, as they make up the backbone of the strands of DNA...
s. 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.
TNA can specifically base pair with RNA and DNA; this capability and chemical simplicity suggests that TNA could have preceded RNA as genetic material.
TNA was the genetic building blocks of Towlie, the worlds first smart towel, in the American animated sitcom
South ParkSouth Park is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become infamous for its crude, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
. However, South Park was not referring to threose nucleic acid, but rather it is assumed to mean towel nucleic acid.
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