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Dr. Ahmed Genetics
Dr. Ahmed Genetics
Nucleotide bases
Nucleic acids are the acidic component of nuclei, first identified by Meischer in the
late 19th century. Subsequent work showed that they are polymers, and the
monomeric subunit of nucleic acids was termed a nucleotide (Figure 22). Hence
nucleic acids are polymers of nucleotides. Nucleotides are composed of bases,
sugar and phosphate. The bases are either pyrimidines or purines (Figure 23).
Pyrimidines
Purines
. As of now it is very clear that Nucleic acids are formed of a sugar moiety-the
pentose (Figure 24), nitrogenous bases- purines and pyrimidines and phosphoric
acid. The nucleotides are the monomeric units of the nucleic acid. They result from
the covalent bonding of a phosphate and a heterocyclic base to the pentose. Within
the nucleotide, the combination of a base with the pentose constitutes a nucleoside
(Figure 25). For example, adenine is a purine base; adenosine (adenine + ribose) is
the corresponding nucleoside, and adenosine monophosphate (AMP), the nucleotide.
Nucleic acids are linear polymers in which the nucleotides are linked together by
means of phosphate-diester bridges with the pentose moiety. These bonds link the 3'
carbon in one nucleotide to the 5' carbon in the pentose of the adjacent nucleotide.
The backbone of nucleic acids consists, therefore, of alternating phosphates and
pentoses (Figure 26). The nitrogenous bases are attached to the sugars of this
backbone.
In RNA In DNA
Phosphodiester linkages
The 3' OH of the (deoxy) ribose of one nucleotide is linked to the 5' OH of the
(deoxy)ribose of the next nucleotide via a phosphate. The phosphate is in an ester
linkage to each hydroxyl, i.e. a phosphodiester group links two nucleotides. This
sugar phosphate backbone has an orientation that is denoted by the orientation of the
sugars. In Figure 26, the chain of nucleotides runs in a 5' to 3' orientation from left to
right. In this case, we say that the 5' end is to the left, and the 3' end is to the right.
Figure (26): A segment of a single hypothetical nucleic acid chain showing the nucleotides and their
constituent parts. The pentose-phosphate backbone is indicated.
. The phosphoric acid uses two of its three acid groups in the 3', 5' diester links. The
remaining negative group confers to the polynucleotide its acid properties and
enables the molecule to form ionic bonds with basic proteins. In eukaryotic cells, DNA
is associated with histones (i.e., basic proteins rich in arginine or lysine), Forming a
nucleoprotein. This anionic group also causes nucleic acids to be highly basophilic,
i.e., they stain readily with basic dyes.