Nucleic acids: Nucleosides and Nucleotides

Nucleosides

A nucleoside is composed of purine or pyrimidine base and a pentose sugar. Two types of pentose sugar are present in nucleoside, they are ribose and deoxy ribose (Fig. 7.3). In the case of purine nucleosides, the sugar is attached to N-9 of the purine ring, whereas in pyrimidine nucleosides, the sugar is attached to N-1 of the pyrimidine ring. The type of linkage is N-glycosidic linkage (Fig. 7.4).

Nucleotides

Nucleotides are phosphorylated nucleosides usually one or two of hydroxyl groups of ribose (or) deoxyribose are phosphorylated. Thus a nucleotide has three structural components. They are nitrogenous base, sugar and phosphate. Phosphate is attached to ribose (or) deoxy ribose through an ester linkage (Fig.7.5).