Nucleotide
made up of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base
A nucleotide is a building block of nucleic acids, which are the molecules essential for the storage and expression of genetic information in all living organisms. A nucleotide is a chemical compound composed of three parts: a nitrogenous base, a five-carbon sugar (deoxyribose in DNA and ribose in RNA), and a phosphate group. The nitrogenous base can be one of four types: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), or thymine (T) in DNA, or uracil (U) in RNA. These four nucleotides combine in specific pairs to form the DNA double helix. The sequence of nucleotides in DNA determines the genetic code, which directs the cellular processes that occur in living organisms. Nucleotides also occur in other important molecules, such as ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the primary energy currency of cells.
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