Phosphate groups occur when one phosphorus atom and four oxygen atoms bind to each

other. Learn about the many roles of phosphate groups and the part they play in creating the
cell membrane. Updated: 09/09/2021

What is a Phosphate Group?

Surround a phosphorus atom with four oxygen atoms, and you get a phosphate. Attach that
cluster to one of the many carbon-containing molecules in our bodies (or, really, in any living
thing), and we call that group of one phosphorus and four oxygen atoms a phosphate group.
Phosphate groups turn up in all kinds of important places. Their electrons, shared among all
those oxygen molecules, can store lots of energy, and this is key for some of their roles in the
cell.

Phosphate Groups in Nucleic Acids

Nucleic acids, like DNA, are made of nucleotides. Where do phosphates come in? Well,
nucleotides include a base, a sugar, and one or more phosphates.

When the nucleotide is off by itself, it may have three phosphates. When it gets joined to the
growing strand of DNA (or RNA), two of its phosphates are lost, and the remaining one attaches
to another nucleotide's sugar. This makes a sugar-phosphate backbone with those important
bases (like adenine, thymine, and so on) hanging off.

Phosphate Groups Can Carry Energy

Where would ATP be without its phosphates? Perhaps you've heard of this energy-carrying
molecule. It's not an accident that ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, has three phosphate
groups; the energy is carried in the phosphates' chemical bonds. The electrons in these bonds
are high energy, meaning that when the bond is broken, plenty of energy can be released to do
work. That's why ATP is used as an energy carrier all over the cell. When you contract your
muscles, for example, your muscle proteins use ATP to do it.

Removing a phosphate group to release the energy is called ATP hydrolysis. The result is a
free-floating phosphate plus ADP, or adenosine diphosphate (meaning it only has two
phosphate groups). An enzyme called ATP synthase can use energy from the food we eat to
attach the phosphate again.

Phosphate Groups Can Activate Proteins

When a phosphate group is attached to a protein, we say that protein has been
phosphorylated. That means its function has changed; usually, phosphorylation activates that
protein so it can do a particular job, such as carrying a message to another protein in the cell.
Proteins that add phosphates to other proteins have a special name: kinases. Sometimes a
kinase's job is to phosphorylate another kinase!
Phosphate Groups & Cell Membranes
Let's talk about one last important job of phosphate groups. Attached to fatty acids, phosphates
can make phospholipids.

What's so important about that? Well, phosphates are hydrophilic, which means that they love
water, while fatty acids are hydrophobic, which means they do not like water. So, this means
that phospholipids can usually be found near other oily and watery molecules. If the
phospholipids line up with their fatty-acid tails together and their hydrophilic phosphate heads
toward the water, they can make a sheet called a phospholipid bilayer. This sheet is so stable
that it's what our cells are made of! This bilayer makes up our cell membranes - think of it as a
cell's skin.

Lesson Summary
A phosphate group is just a phosphorus atom bound to four oxygen atoms, but it has many
important roles. Along with sugars and bases, it makes up nucleic acids, like DNA and RNA. As
part of energy carriers, like ATP, it provides energy for moving our muscles. When it's added to
a protein, it can activate enzymes and cellular messages. With fatty acids, it makes the
phospholipid bilayer that holds our cells together. Hooray for phosphate groups - we just
wouldn't be the same without them.

Vocabulary & Definitions

Phosphate groups

Vocabulary Definitions
Phosphate group a phosphorus atom bound to four oxygen atoms
contain a base, a sugar, and one or more
Nucleotides
phosphates
nucleotide gets joined to the growing strand of
DNA (or RNA), two of its phosphates are lost, and
Sugar-phosphate backbone
the remaining one attaches to another
nucleotide's sugar
Adenosine triphosphate a molecule that has three phosphate groups
 removing a phosphate group to release the
ATP hydrolysis
energy
an enzyme that can use energy from the food to
ATP synthase
attach the phosphate again
Phosphorylated a phosphate group is attached to a protein
Kinases proteins that add phosphates to other proteins
Phospholipids phosphates attached to fatty acids
Hydrophilic phosphates that love water
Hydrophobic fatty acids do not like water
creates a sheet with phosphates and fatty acids
Phospholipid bilayer
that holds cells together

Learning Outcomes
Working your way through this lesson should help you complete the following:

 Define a phosphate group

 Describe what phosphate groups do
 Identify what phosphates may attach to and for what purpose