Deoxyribose

Deoxyribose is a monosaccharide (simple sugar) that is derived from ribose by the replacement of a hydroxyl group by hydrogen. It is an essential component of DNA, where it forms the backbone of the DNA structure.

Structure

Deoxyribose is a pentose sugar, meaning it is composed of five carbon atoms. It has the chemical formula C5H10O4. The structure of deoxyribose differs from ribose in that one of the hydroxyl (OH) groups found in ribose is replaced by a hydrogen (H) in deoxyribose.

Role in DNA

In DNA, deoxyribose is connected to a phosphate group to form the backbone of the DNA double helix. The deoxyribose and phosphate molecules alternate to create the backbone, with the nitrogenous bases (adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine) attached to the deoxyribose.

Synthesis

Deoxyribose is synthesized in the body through a process called the Pentose phosphate pathway. This pathway also produces NADPH and ribose-5-phosphate, which are important for fatty acid synthesis and the synthesis of nucleotides and nucleic acids, respectively.

See also

• Ribose
• DNA
• Nucleotide
• Pentose phosphate pathway

References

Deoxyribose Resources
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