Phosphate backbone: Difference between revisions
Created page with "A phosphate backbone usually refers to a double stranded DNA molecule, where the sequence of a phosphate group and deoxyribose are connected in sequence by phosphodiester bo..." |
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A phosphate backbone | A phosphate backbone is the fixed, structural feature from which [[Nucleic acid|nucleic acids]] protrude in [[DNA|DNA]] and [[RNA|RNA]]<ref name="null">Berg.J, Tymoczko.J,Styer.L (2012)Biochemistry, 7th edition, New York: W.H. Freemann (Page 4)</ref>. This is formed by the repeating sequence of a [[Phosphate group|phosphate group]] and [[Deoxyribose|deoxyribose]], connected in sequence by [[Phosphodiester bond|phosphodiester bonds]]. The phosphate group always sticks out of the double helix of DNA due to the arrangement of the bases within the helix, and because phosphate groups are found throughout the entire DNA molecule, sticking outside the helix, it is referred to as a 'phosphate backbone' (imagine the bones that protrude through the skin along your spine). The sugar-phosphate backbone is negatively charged due to the presence of the phosphate groups hence making it also hydrophilic. | ||
The sugar-phosphate backbone determines the directionality of the molecule, the sugar being at the 3' end and the phosphate at the 5' end of each [[Nucleotide|nucleotide]]<ref>Vikram Savkar, Phosphate Backbone, Nature Education, [Online] Available:http://www.nature.com/scitable/definition/phosphate-backbone-273</ref>. | |||
=== References === | |||
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Latest revision as of 16:31, 4 December 2017
A phosphate backbone is the fixed, structural feature from which nucleic acids protrude in DNA and RNA[1]. This is formed by the repeating sequence of a phosphate group and deoxyribose, connected in sequence by phosphodiester bonds. The phosphate group always sticks out of the double helix of DNA due to the arrangement of the bases within the helix, and because phosphate groups are found throughout the entire DNA molecule, sticking outside the helix, it is referred to as a 'phosphate backbone' (imagine the bones that protrude through the skin along your spine). The sugar-phosphate backbone is negatively charged due to the presence of the phosphate groups hence making it also hydrophilic.
The sugar-phosphate backbone determines the directionality of the molecule, the sugar being at the 3' end and the phosphate at the 5' end of each nucleotide[2].
References
- ↑ Berg.J, Tymoczko.J,Styer.L (2012)Biochemistry, 7th edition, New York: W.H. Freemann (Page 4)
- ↑ Vikram Savkar, Phosphate Backbone, Nature Education, [Online] Available:http://www.nature.com/scitable/definition/phosphate-backbone-273