Formation of phosphodiester bond

(Answer supplemented with whiteboard annotations) As previously mentioned at GCSE, the sugarphosphate backbone is formed by a condensation reaction between the phosphate group of one DNA molecule and the deoxyribose sugar of another DNA molecule. We wil now explore how this occurs in a greater detail and illustrate this with cyclical annotations. The key concept to understand is the the condensation reation involves the removal of water from the 5 prime hydroxyl of the phosphate group and the 3 prime hydroxyl of the deoxyribose sugar. What remains is the removal of water and a phosphodiesterbond between two DNA molecules (This will be clear for the tutee by the annotations provided).

MR
Answered by Mizanur R. Biology tutor

5079 Views

See similar Biology A Level tutors

Related Biology A Level answers

All answers ▸

What is a pathogen and what role do they have in causing disease?


Explain how the intensive rearing of domestic livestock increases net productivity


Osmoregulation is the process by which the body regulates the volume of water in the body. Define homeostasis and describe where osmoreceptors are located. Explain how osmoreceptors work and describe the key osmoregulation hormone and its target organ.


Why does the thermal stability of Group 2 carbonates increase down the group?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning