Which of the following constitutes the primary structure of a nucleic acid?
A)the sequence of the bases in the strand
B)the sequence of the riboses in the strand
C)the sequence of the deoxyriboses in the strand
D)the sequence of the phosphodiesters in the strand
E)the sequence of the 5'-OH groups in the strand

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The primary structure of a nucleic acid refers to the sequence of nucleotides that make up the nucleic acid strand, including the sequence of the nitrogenous bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine/uracil) that are attached to the 5-carbon sugar (either ribose or deoxyribose) through phosphodiester bonds. Therefore, the correct choice is A, the sequence of the bases in the strand.

Which of the Following Constitutes the Primary Structure of a Nucleic