BIOMOLECULES AND ENZYMES

Detailed explanation-1: -Nucleotides are joined together to form nucleic acids through the phosphate group of one nucleotide connecting in an ester linkage to the OH group on the third carbon atom of the sugar unit of a second nucleotide.

Detailed explanation-2: -Definition. A nucleotide is the basic building block of nucleic acids (RNA and DNA). A nucleotide consists of a sugar molecule (either ribose in RNA or deoxyribose in DNA) attached to a phosphate group and a nitrogen-containing base. The bases used in DNA are adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T).

Detailed explanation-3: -Nucleotides are joined together similarly to other biological molecules, by a condensation reaction that releases a small, stable molecule. Unlike proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, however, the molecule that is released is not water but pyrophosphate (two phosphate groups bound together).

Detailed explanation-4: -When nucleotides are incorporated into DNA, adjacent nucleotides are linked by a phosphodiester bond: a covalent bond is formed between the 5’ phosphate group of one nucleotide and the 3’-OH group of another (see below). In this manner, each strand of DNA has a “backbone” of phosphate-sugar-phosphate-sugar-phosphate.