Nucleic Acids: Types and Properties · Zoology

Which type of bond links nucleotides in a nucleic acid strand?

  1. Peptide bond (amide linkage)
  2. Hydrogen bond (non-covalent)
  3. Phosphodiester bond
  4. Glycosidic bond (sugar linkage)
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Correct answer: Phosphodiester bond

Adjacent nucleotides in a nucleic acid strand are covalently joined by phosphodiester bonds: each phosphate group bridges the 3'-hydroxyl of one sugar to the 5'-carbon of the next, forming the continuous sugar-phosphate backbone. Hydrogen bonds, in contrast, hold the two strands of the double helix together through base pairing.

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