Deoxyribonucleotides

Deoxyribonucleotides are the building blocks of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). They are composed of a nucleotide base, a deoxyribose sugar, and a phosphate group. There are four types of deoxyribonucleotides in DNA: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T).

Structure

Each deoxyribonucleotide is composed of three parts: a nucleotide base, a deoxyribose sugar, and a phosphate group. The nucleotide base can be adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), or thymine (T). The deoxyribose sugar is a five-carbon sugar molecule. The phosphate group is attached to the 5' carbon of the sugar and can link to the 3' carbon of the next sugar to form a chain.

Function

Deoxyribonucleotides are essential for the formation of DNA. They form the backbone of the DNA double helix, with the phosphate and sugar groups forming the backbone and the bases forming the rungs of the ladder. The sequence of these bases determines the genetic information carried by the DNA.

Synthesis

Deoxyribonucleotides are synthesized from ribonucleotides through the action of the enzyme ribonucleotide reductase. This enzyme reduces the ribose sugar to deoxyribose, creating a deoxyribonucleotide.

Role in DNA Replication

During DNA replication, deoxyribonucleotides are added to the growing DNA chain by the enzyme DNA polymerase. The enzyme adds the deoxyribonucleotides to the 3' end of the new strand, following the base pairing rules (A with T, and C with G).

See Also

• Nucleotide
• DNA
• DNA replication
• Ribonucleotide reductase

Deoxyribonucleotides Resources
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