BIOMOLECULES AND ENZYMES

BIOLOGY

NUCLEIC ACIDS

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
The ‘backbone’ or ‘ribbon’ of the DNA strand is made of:
A
phosphate and sugar
B
phosphate only
C
phosphate and base
D
sugar and base
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -A phosphate backbone is the portion of the DNA double helix that provides structural support to the molecule. DNA consists of two strands that wind around each other like a twisted ladder. Each strand has a backbone made of alternating sugar (deoxyribose) and phosphate groups.

Detailed explanation-2: -In double-stranded DNA, the molecular double-helix shape is formed by two linear sugar-phosphate backbones that run opposite each other and twist together in a helical shape. The sugar-phosphate backbone is negatively charged and hydrophilic, which allows the DNA backbone to form bonds with water.

Detailed explanation-3: -DNA consists of a pair of chains of a sugar-phosphate backbone linked by pyrimidine and purine bases to form adouble helix (Fig. 96.1). The sugar in DNA is deoxyribose. The pyrimidines are cytosine (C) and thymine (T); the purines are guanine (G) and adenine (A).

Detailed explanation-4: -The backbone of the DNA is composed of deoxyribose sugar and a phosphate molecule. The four types of nitrogen bases present in a nucleotide are adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C). The order of these bases determines the DNA’s instructions or genetic code.

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