Phosphodiester bonds
Phosphodiester bonds
Formula
3′-OH + phosphate + 5′-OH → 3′-O-PO₃-O-5′ + H₂O
Real World
DNA sequencing machines used by Illumina detect each new phosphodiester bond formed during synthesis — the release of a fluorescent-tagged pyrophosphate signals which nucleotide was added.
Exam Focus
Specify that the bond links the 3′ carbon of one sugar to the 5′ carbon of the next — vague answers lose marks.
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