Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Biology

Chapter

Molecular Basis of Inheritance

Question:

In DNA N-glycosidic linkage is present between ____________.

Options:

 Pentose sugar and Phosphate group

A nitrogenous base and a Pentose sugar

Two nitrogenous bases

Two pentose sugars

Correct Answer:

A nitrogenous base and a Pentose sugar

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option (2) -A nitrogenous base and a Pentose sugar

A nucleotide has three components – a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar (ribose in case of RNA, and deoxyribose for DNA), and a phosphate group. There are two types of nitrogenous bases – Purines (Adenine and Guanine), and Pyrimidines (Cytosine, Uracil and Thymine).Cytosine is common for both DNA and RNA and Thymine is present in DNA. Uracil is present in RNA at the place of Thymine.

A nitrogenous base is linked to the OH of 1' C pentose sugar through a N-glycosidic linkage to form a nucleoside, such as adenosine or deoxyadenosine, guanosine or deoxyguanosine, cytidine or deoxycytidine and uridine or deoxythymidine. When a phosphate group is linked to OH of 5' C of a nucleoside through phosphoester linkage, a corresponding nucleotide (or deoxynucleotide depending upon the type of sugar present) is formed.
Two nucleotides are linked through 3'-5' phosphodiester linkage to form a dinucleotide. More nucleotides can be joined in such a manner to form a polynucleotide chain.

A polymer thus formed has at one end a free phosphate moiety at 5' -end of sugar, which is referred to as 5’-end of polynucleotide chain. Similarly, at the other end of the polymer the sugar has a free OH of 3' C group which is referred to as 3' - end of the polynucleotide chain.

The backbone of a polynucleotide chain is formed due to sugar and phosphates. The nitrogenous bases linked to sugar moiety project from the backbone.