Nucleic Acid Cleavage

**Semantic type:** Phenomenon or Process

**Definition:** Nucleic Acid Cleavage is any process that hydrolytically cleaves either the glycosidic bond or the sugar-phospate ester bond of a oligoribonucleotide or deoxyoligoribonucleotide polymer. This process can occur with or without the involvement of an enzyme. This term does not apply to the disruption of hydrogen bonds that stabilize DNA and RNA molecules.