1. A phosphate group: This is a negatively charged molecule containing phosphorus and oxygen.
2. A deoxyribose sugar: This is a five-carbon sugar that gives DNA its name (deoxyribonucleic acid).
3. A nitrogenous base: This is a ring-shaped molecule containing nitrogen. There are four different nitrogenous bases in DNA:
* Adenine (A)
* Guanine (G)
* Cytosine (C)
* Thymine (T)
Here's how they connect:
* The phosphate group is attached to the 5' carbon of the deoxyribose sugar.
* The nitrogenous base is attached to the 1' carbon of the deoxyribose sugar.
* The 3' carbon of one deoxyribose sugar is linked to the phosphate group of the next deoxyribose sugar, forming a long chain called a polynucleotide.
The order of the nitrogenous bases determines the genetic information encoded in the DNA strand. Adenine (A) always pairs with thymine (T), and guanine (G) always pairs with cytosine (C) through hydrogen bonds. This base pairing is crucial for DNA replication and protein synthesis.
