GNA (nucleic acid)

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GNA is glycol nucleic acid, a chemical similar to DNA or RNA but differing in the composition of its "backbone." GNA is not known to occur naturally in existing life on Earth.

DNA and RNA have a deoxyribose and ribose sugar backbone, respectively, whereas GNA's backbone is composed of repeating glycol units linked by peptide bonds. The glycol molecule has just three carbon atoms and still shows Watson-Crick base pairing. It is possibly the simplest of the nucleic acids, so making it a possible simple precursor to RNA.

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