Deoxyribose vs Ribose sugars
Deoxyribose and Ribose
are both pentose monosaccharides. Following the
conventions of organic chemistry, numbering proceeds from
the 1'-C clock-wise, with the 5'-C
projecting.
Deoxyribose differs from Ribose in that
the hydroxyl (-OH) group on the 2'-C
in Ribose is replaced by -H in Deoxyribose.
This seemingly simple modification prevents Ribose from
forming stable double-helical molecules.
HOMEWORK: Briefly describe the function of each of the C atoms for the biochemistry of nucleic acid.
HOMEWORK: Briefly describe the function of each of the C atoms for the biochemistry of nucleic acid.
Figure © 2012 TA Brown, Introduction to Genetics (1st
ed.); additional text © 2024 by Steven M. Carr