DNA

The Times is to be commended for its well-taken points in its editorial (May 14) regarding the implications and importance of mapping the human genome. However, the big picture presented was marred by a few critical details. The corrections stand as follows.

DNA is not a sequence of amino acids, but rather a sequence of nucleotides, each of which consists of (1) a ribose sugar, (2) a phosphate, and (3) a nitrogen-containing base, which may or may not be an amino acid.

The importance of these corrections is that of clarifying the distinction between proteins, which are indeed sequences of amino acids, and nucleic acids (DNA is one), which consist of the three components enumerated above.

JASON E. FRANK

Los Angeles