Video Transcript
The diagram provided shows the basic structure of an RNA nucleotide, which contains a
pentose sugar. Which pentose sugar is found in an RNA nucleotide?
Nucleic acids are large macromolecules that are essential to all forms of life. Nucleic acids are polymers, which are composed of multiple repeating subunits called
nucleotides. They store and transmit genetic information and include both DNA and RNA.
The provided diagram shows the basic structure of a nucleotide. A nucleotide contains a phosphate group, a pentose sugar, and a nitrogenous base. The pentose sugar can vary depending on whether it’s DNA or RNA. In DNA, the pentose sugar is called deoxyribose and it has this structure. And in RNA, the pentose sugar is called ribose and it has this structure. The pentose is called deoxyribose in DNA because there’s a hydroxyl group missing
that’s present in ribose. You can see this indicated by the pink box. This is also why we call RNA ribonucleic acid and DNA deoxyribonucleic acid.
Therefore, the pentose sugar found in RNA is ribose.
