Nucleoside

Nucleoside

A Nucleoside is a nucleotide without a phosphate group. It is a glycosylamine that can be considered as a nucleobase linked to a ribose sugar. Nucleosides are the basic building blocks of DNA and RNA.

Structure

Nucleosides are composed of a nucleobase and a five-carbon sugar (either ribose or deoxyribose) linked by a glycosidic bond. The nucleobase can be a purine (adenine or guanine) or a pyrimidine (cytosine, uracil, or thymine).

Function

Nucleosides play a crucial role in various biological functions. They are involved in the storage and transmission of genetic information, in the form of DNA and RNA. They also function as energy currency in the cell, in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and GTP (guanosine triphosphate).

Synthesis

Nucleosides can be synthesized in the laboratory using various methods. The most common method is the nucleophilic substitution of a halogenated sugar with a nucleobase.

See also

• Nucleotide
• DNA
• RNA
• ATP
• GTP

References

Nucleoside Resources
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