Deoxyribonucleic acid phosphodiester link

DNA (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid) is called the genetic material because it contains the genetic information for every cell and tissue in an organism. DNA is a component of the chromosomes (proteins are the other component). DNA is one of two types of nucleic acid. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is the other. As such, DNA is a polymer of deoxyribonucleotides linked through phosphodiester bonds (Figure 4,1). 

The successive nucleotides in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) are covalently linked via phosphodiester bond. In this binding, the 5 OH group of one nucleotide is bridged to the 3 OH of the next nucleotide (Fig. 16.5). 

In deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), 2-deoxy-D-ribose and phosphate units alternate in the backbone. The 3 hydroxyl of one ribose unit is linked to the 5 hydroxyl of the next ribose unit by a phosphodiester bond. The heterocyclic base is connected to the ano-meric carbon of each deoxyribose unit by a /3-N-glycosidic bond. Figure 18.3 shows a schematic drawing of a DNA segment. 

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