Nucleic acids and chromatin

Introduction

This unit helps you understand the properties of nucleotides and how they contribute to secondary and tertiary structures of nucleic acids at the molecular level. You will learn about the different composition and roles of nucleic acids in the cell, their interactions with each other and the use of ribozymes, aptamers, antisense and hybridization as tools in molecular research. The unit covers the function of DNA packaging within the cell, the interactions between the DNA double helix and the nucleosome and it helps you understand the various chromatin states within the interphase nucleus.

The full Open University course from which this material is selected contains components, such as molecular modelling activities, which are not represented on OpenLearn

This unit is an adapted extract from the Open University course Molecular and cell biology (S377) [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]