Phosphodiester bond
Definition
The covalent linkage between consecutive nucleotides in a strand, formed between the phosphate group and the 3'-OH of the preceding sugar and the 5'-carbon of the next sugar. Hydrolysis of phosphodiester bonds by nuclease enzymes or by chemical attack (acid, heat) is the primary cause of DNA strand breakage in degraded evidence.
Related terms
- Antiparallel orientation
- The two strands of the DNA double helix run in opposite directions: one strand reads 5' to 3', its complement reads 3'...
- Base pair (bp)
- A complementary pairing of nitrogenous bases on opposite strands of double-stranded DNA: adenine with thymine (two hydrogen bonds) or guanine with cytosine...
- Complementarity
- The property by which each base pairs with only one specific partner (A with T, G with C). Complementarity allows a single...
- Denaturation
- The separation of double-stranded DNA into two single strands by disrupting the hydrogen bonds between base pairs. In PCR, denaturation is achieved...
- Nucleotide
- The monomer unit of nucleic acids. Each nucleotide consists of a five-carbon sugar (deoxyribose in DNA, ribose in RNA), a phosphate group,...
Explained in
- Nucleic Acids: Structure and FunctionThe covalent linkage between consecutive nucleotides in a strand, formed between the phosphate group and the 3'-OH of the preceding sugar and the 5'-carbon of...