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- The two types of nucleic acid,
- deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic
- acid, are composed of building-block
- molecules called nucleotides. Each
- nucleotide contains a phosphate
- group and a nitrogenous base both
- covalently bonded to a five-carbon
- sugar. Deoxyribonucleic acid
- (DNA) has four types of nucleotides,
- each with deoxyribose as its sugar but
- with a different nitrogenous base. The
- purine bases adenine and guanine
- have double-ring structures; the
- pyrimidine bases cytosine and thymine
- have single-ring structures.
- Linked by bonds that form between the
- phosphate group and sugar of successive
- nucleotides, nucleotides are arranged in
- long chains with their nitrogenous bases
- oriented as side groups off the main chain.
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