AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Nucleotides are organic molecules that are composed of a sugar, a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group. These molecules are the building blocks of DNA and RNA, the structures that control all the hereditary characteristics of our body. Let us look at the three main parts of a nucleotide.

Detailed explanation-2: -A molecule consisting of a nitrogen-containing base (adenine, guanine, thymine, or cytosine in DNA; adenine, guanine, uracil, or cytosine in RNA), a phosphate group, and a sugar (deoxyribose in DNA; ribose in RNA).

Detailed explanation-3: -Nucleotides are made up of 3 parts. The first is a distinct nitrogenous base, which is adenine, cytosine, guanine or thymine. In RNA, thymine is replaced by uracil. These nitrogenous bases are either purines or pyrimidines.

Detailed explanation-4: -The nucleotide triplet that encodes an amino acid is called a codon. Each group of three nucleotides encodes one amino acid.

Detailed explanation-5: -The 5’ and 3’ specifically refer to the 5th and 3rd carbon atoms in the deoxyribose/ribose sugar ring. The phosphate group attached to the 5’ end of one nucleotide and the hydroxyl group at the 3’ end of another nucleotide have the potential to form phospodiester bonds, and hence link adjacent nucleotides.