What is the Difference Between Nucleotide and Nucleoside?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between nucleotides and nucleosides lies in their molecular composition and biological functions. Here are the key differences:
- Chemical Composition: Nucleotides consist of a phosphate group, a sugar, and a nitrogenous base, while nucleosides consist of a sugar and a base without the phosphate group.
- Structure: A nucleoside can be represented by the chemical formula: Nucleoside = Sugar + Base, whereas a nucleotide can be represented as: Nucleotide = Sugar + Base + Phosphate.
- Function: Nucleotides are building blocks of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and serve as the 'backbone' structure of nucleic acids. In contrast, nucleosides often play a role in signaling functions or are used as substrates by specific enzymes to produce secondary messengers.
Some examples of nucleotides include adenosine and guanosine, while some examples of nucleosides are cytidine, adenosine, and guanosine. To summarize, nucleotides contain a phosphate group and serve as building blocks for nucleic acids, while nucleosides lack the phosphate group and are involved in signaling functions or as substrates for specific enzymes.
Comparative Table: Nucleotide vs Nucleoside
Here is a table highlighting the differences between nucleotides and nucleosides:
| Feature | Nucleosides | Nucleotides |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical Composition | Sugar + Base | Sugar + Base + Phosphate |
| Structure | Lacks phosphate group | Contains phosphate group |
| Function | Often involved in signaling functions or used as a substrate by specific enzymes | Building blocks of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) |
| Phosphate Groups | None | One to three phosphate groups |
In summary, nucleosides are composed of a nitrogenous base and a sugar (ribose or deoxyribose), while nucleotides also include one to three phosphate groups. The phosphate group is what distinguishes a nucleotide from a nucleoside, with nucleotides forming the backbone structure of nucleic acids like DNA and RNA, while nucleosides are often involved in signaling functions or used by specific enzymes.
- Nucleotide vs Nucleic Acid
- Nucleotide vs Base
- Amino Acid vs Nucleotide
- DNA vs RNA Nucleotide
- Amino Acid vs Nucleic Acid
- Nucleoside vs Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
- a Ribonucleotide vs a Deoxyribonucleotide
- Oligonucleotide vs Polynucleotide
- Nucleus vs Nucleoid
- Thymine vs Thymidine
- Capsid vs Nucleocapsid
- DNA vs RNA
- Nicotinamide Riboside vs Nicotinamide Mononucleotide
- Hexose vs Pentose
- Base Excision Repair vs Nucleotide Excision Repair
- NNRTI vs NRTI
- Guanine vs Guanosine
- Deoxyribonucleic acid vs Ribonucleic Acid
- dNTP vs DdNTP