Sugar-phosphate backbone can be found between carbon 4 and CH2 group linked by ester bond that make the DNA strand as double helix making it twist into a coil. As a result of it, DNA can protect the bases inside it protecting from being damaged. Sugar-phosphate backbone also produces energy by matching simple replacement of bases cytosine (C), guanine (G), adenine (A), thymine (T), and uracil (U). Sugar-phosphate backbone is composed of alternating sugar and phosphate that defines the molecules which is negatively charged and hydrophilic to allow the DNA backbone to form bonds with water.[1]Sugar-phosphate backbone forms the structural framework of nucleic acids, including DNA and RNA. This backbone is composed of alternating sugar and phosphate groups, and defines directionality of the molecule.[2]
Sugar phosphates are defined as carbohydrates to which a phosphate group is bound by an ester or an either linkage, depending on whether it involves an alcoholic or a hemiacetalic hydroxyl, respectively. Solubility, acid hydrolysis rates, acid strengths, and ability to act as sugar group donors are knowledge of physical and chemical properties required to analysis both types of sugar phosphates. The photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle is closely associated with sugar phosphates and sugar phosphates are one of the key molecules in metabolism, oxidative pentose phosphate pathways, gluconeogenesis, important intermediates in glycolysis. Sugar phosphates are not only involved in metabolic regulation, signaling but also in the synthesis of other phosphate compounds.[3]
The biological importance of sugar phosphates
editSugar phosphates play a determining role in all organisms. As an example, ribose 5-phosphate, is well known as it is part of the RNA backbone.Sugar phosphates are major players in metabolism due to their task of storing and transferring energy. Not only ribose 5-phosphate but also fructose 6-phosphate are an intermediate of the pentose-phosphate pathway which generates nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and pentoses from glucose polymers and their degradation products. The pathway is known as glycolysis where the same carbohydrates are degraded into pyruvate thus providing energy. [4]
References
edit- ^ "Sugar-phosphate backbone".
- ^ "Phosphate Backbone".
- ^ "Case Study: Sugar Phosphates - Methods for Analysis of Carbohydrate Metabolism in Photosynthetic Organisms - Chapter 14". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
- ^ "Coordination Chemistry of Sugar-Phosphate complexes" (PDF).