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Q.Write the differences between Nucleoside and Nucleotide.

Tamil Nadu DgeTamil Nadu HSC First Year (DGE) Board 2022Subjective· 2mImportance★★★★★
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Nucleosides contain only a nitrogenous base and a sugar, while nucleotides additionally carry a phosphate group, which is what allows nucleotides to link together and form nucleic acid chains.

The key differences between a nucleoside and a nucleotide are:

  1. Composition: A nucleoside is formed by the union of a nitrogenous base (purine or pyrimidine) with a pentose sugar (ribose or deoxyribose) through an N-glycosidic bond. A nucleotide is formed when a nucleoside is further esterified with one, two, or three phosphate groups (attached usually at the 5' carbon of the sugar).

  2. Formula: Nucleoside = Nitrogenous base + Sugar. Nucleotide = Nitrogenous base + Sugar + Phosphate group(s).

  3. Naming: Nucleosides are named by adding a suffix like '-osine' (for purines, e.g. adenosine, guanosine) or '-idine' (for pyrimidines, e.g. cytidine, thymidine) to the base name. Nucleotides are named as '-osine/-idine monophosphate/diphosphate/triphosphate' (e.g. adenosine monophosphate, AMP).

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