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Article: Nucleotides
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- Biology
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Nucleotides
Nucleotides are the subunits that are linked to form the nucleic acids ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which serve as the cell's storehouse of genetic information. Free nucleotides play important roles in cell signaling and
metabolism
, serving as convenient and universal carriers of metabolic energy and high-energy electrons.
All nucleotides are composed of three parts: a five-carbon sugar, a phosphate, and a nitrogen-rich structure called a nitrogenous base. The sugar can be ribose, which is found in ribonucleotides and RNA, or deoxyribose, which is found in deoxyribonucleotides and DNA. The only difference between these two sugars is that ...