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

4710 Views

See similar Biology A Level tutors

Related Biology A Level answers

All answers ▸

When a vaccine is given to a person, it leads to the production of antibodies against a disease-causing organism. Describe how. (5 marks)


Describe what happens when a nerve impulse arrives at a synapse.


Describe and explain how fish are adapted for gas exchange.


Explain the structure of a DNA polynucleotide strand


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