DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, exhibits a double helix structure composed of nucleotides.
Each nucleotide consists of a phosphate group, deoxyribose sugar, and one of four nitrogenous bases: adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. Adenine pairs with thymine, and cytosine pairs with guanine, forming a stable helix.
The structure includes major and minor grooves, facilitating protein binding. DNA's ability to replicate precedes cell division, orchestrated by DNA polymerase.
Histones aid in coiling DNA into nucleosomes, which further organize into chromosomes. This intricate structure underlies genetic processes crucial for inheritance, such as replication, transcription, and translation.