Question

Nucleotides are joined together by:

• A. Glycosidic linkage
• B. Peptide linkage
• C. Hydrogen bonding
• D. Phosphodiester linkage

Hint:

In nucleic acids, phosphodiester bonds form the backbone of the structure by connecting the sugar and phosphate groups of adjacent nucleotides.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

To resolve this issue, we must ascertain the mechanism by which nucleotides connect within a biological framework.

1. Nucleotide Composition:
Nucleotides serve as the fundamental units of nucleic acids, including DNA and RNA. Each nucleotide comprises a sugar moiety, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

2. Bond Identification:
Within nucleic acids, nucleotides link sequentially to form a polynucleotide strand. The linkage between nucleotides occurs via a bond formed between the phosphate group of one nucleotide and the sugar component (specifically, the 3’ hydroxyl group) of the subsequent nucleotide. This covalent linkage is termed a phosphodiester bond, establishing the sugar-phosphate backbone characteristic of DNA and RNA.

3. Specificity Confirmation:
The phosphodiester bond is exclusively involved in the covalent connection of nucleotides within a single nucleic acid strand. While other bond types, such as hydrogen bonds, facilitate base pairing between complementary strands, this inquiry pertains to the intrastrand nucleotide linkage.

Conclusion:
The covalent linkage uniting nucleotides is the phosphodiester bond.