DNA and RNA Nucleotide-Based Drugs

A virus is a piece of DNA or RNA wrapped in a protein. When it invades the host cell (e.g. a human cell), the virus tricks the cell during its division into producing the 

SCHEME 6.7 Constructing DNA (or RNA) strands by excising water molecules from pairs of nucleotides (a) a case of two nucleotides with bases B and B, (b) a case of four nucleotides with bases Bj—B4. The C—O—P linkages are highlighted in red. The process can recur to form a DNA strand with as many as 200 million nucleotides (a total of 3 billion nucleotides are in the genome). In the cell, this is performed by enzymes, which stitch the nucleotides together into a strand. 

SCHEME 6.8 Nucleotide-like drugs (missing the phosphate). 

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