In the nucleus of eukaryotic cells is a substance called nuclein. This structure gets its name from the nucleic acids or nucleotides. Nucleotides are highly complex macromolecules, since they are made up of three other molecules: phosphoric acid, pentose or carbohydrates with five carbon atoms (ribose or deoxyribose), in addition to nitrogenous bases. Nucleotide
The structure of a nucleotide
The nucleotides of a cell are the combination of a nitrogenous base and a type of sugar. The five most common nitrogenous bases are adenine, thymine, uracil, guanine and cytosine. They are all flat and complementary structures (for example, adenine is always linked with thymine or uracil). In relation to sugars, ribose is the most common among the nucleotides found in RNA from cells, since deoxyribose is the most common among the nucleotides found in DNA. Therefore, nucleotides are made up of a nitrogenous base (eg adenine) and a sugar such as deoxyribose. Nucleotide
The nitrogenous base joins a sugar through a bond called glycosidic. This bond or union is established between carbon number 1 of ribose or deoxyribose, on the other hand, nitrogen 1 of the base or nitrogen 9. The resulting molecule is called a nucleoside. Once formed, the nucleoside is added to the phosphoric acid and permanently settles into the nucleotide.
The study of nucleotides is essential for the biological study of living beings
First, these structures determine the formation of DNA and RNA. Second, nucleic acids are essential energy transmitters for cells to function properly (for example, in the photosynthesis process of plants). Finally, nucleotides can be part of coenzymes, that is, organic molecules that interact in chemical reactions catalyzed by enzymes.
TPA is a nucleotide with specific functions
TPA (an acronym in English for adenosine triphosphate) stores the energy that a living organism obtains from the external environment. In this way, this molecule allows an organism to carry out a set of vital functions. In fact, TPA interferes with the anabolic and metabolic reactions that take place in any organism. In this sense, cells need certain mechanisms to store energy and TPA is the nucleotide responsible for this function . Nucleotide