deoxyribose
A scientist points to a diagram of a DNA molecule, highlighting the deoxyribose sugar in its structure.
Noun: A pentose sugar (C₅H₁₀O₄) that is a fundamental structural component of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). It is a derivative of ribose in which a hydroxyl group (-OH) on the 2' carbon of the ribose ring is replaced by a hydrogen atom (-H), making it "deoxy" or lacking an oxygen atom compared to ribose. This chemical difference contributes to the greater stability of DNA compared to RNA.
The term "deoxyribose" is used almost exclusively in scientific contexts, particularly in biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics, to refer to the specific sugar backbone of the DNA molecule. * The deoxyribose sugar forms the vertical supports of the DNA double helix ladder, with phosphate groups. * Each nucleotide in DNA consists of a phosphate group, a deoxyribose sugar, and one of four nitrogenous bases. * The absence of the 2'-hydroxyl group on deoxyribose makes DNA less reactive and more chemically stable than RNA.
- 2'-deoxyribose: The full systematic name, specifying the position of the missing oxygen atom on the sugar ring.
- Deoxyribose moiety: Refers to the deoxyribose sugar unit as a part of a larger molecule, like a nucleotide.
- Deoxyribose-phosphate backbone: The alternating chain of deoxyribose sugars and phosphate groups that forms the structural framework of a DNA strand.
- Ribose (noun): The pentose sugar (C₅H₁₀O₅) that is a component of RNA and ATP. It has a hydroxyl group (-OH) on both the 2' and 3' carbons.
- Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) (noun): The molecule that carries genetic instructions, composed of two long strands of nucleotides containing deoxyribose sugar.
- Deoxyribonucleotide (noun): A nucleotide containing deoxyribose, which is the monomeric building block of DNA.
- 2-deoxy-D-ribose (noun): The precise chemical name.
- DNA sugar (noun, informal): A contextual, non-technical synonym used for clarity in introductory teaching.
- Sugar-phosphate backbone: A key phrase in molecular biology describing the structural support of nucleic acids, where "sugar" refers specifically to ribose in RNA and deoxyribose in DNA.
- Five-carbon sugar / Pentose sugar: A descriptive phrase classifying deoxyribose by its chemical structure.
A scientist points to a diagram of a DNA molecule, highlighting the deoxyribose sugar in its structure.
- a sugar that is a constituent of nucleic acids