Polynucleotides (A-level Biology)
Polynucleotides
Formation and Breakdown of Polynucleotides
Remember back to when we first learnt about polymers in tutorial 2.
- Nucleotides are bonded to each other through condensation reactions. Multiple nucleotides bonded together form polynucleotides. Water is released as a by-product.
- Phosphodiester bonds form between nucleotides. A phosphodiester bond forms between the phosphate group of one nucleotide and the pentose sugar of a second nucleotide. Phosphodiester bonds are covalent bonds.
- Phosphodiester bonds create a chain of nucleotides called a polynucleotide chain. These polynucleotide chains also have a sugar-phosphate backbone because of the pentose sugars and the phosphate groups which make up the majority of a nucleotide’s structure.
- Phosphodiester bonds can be broken through hydrolysis reactions. Just like the polymers we studied in tutorial 2.
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