sugarphosphate

Sugarphosphate is a term used to describe chemical structures in which a sugar unit is bonded to one or more phosphate groups. In nucleic acids, the repeating units are connected by phosphodiester bonds, forming the sugar-phosphate backbone that links nucleotides into polymers. In DNA, the sugar is deoxyribose; in RNA it is ribose.

The sugar-phosphate backbone provides the main framework of DNA and RNA. Phosphate groups carry negative charges at physiological pH, increasing solubility and stabilizing the polymer through electrostatic interactions. The backbone runs in a 5' to 3' direction, a feature that underpins nucleotide addition during synthesis and the interpretation of genetic information.

Beyond nucleic acids, sugar phosphates also refer to phosphorylated sugars—sugar molecules bearing one or more phosphate esters. Examples include glucose-6-phosphate and ribose-5-phosphate. These compounds are central intermediates in metabolism, participating in glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, and nucleotide biosynthesis, and serving in signaling and regulation.

Overall, sugarphosphate denotes both the structural elements of nucleic acids and a class of phosphorylated sugar compounds essential to metabolism and genetics. The concept is foundational to molecular biology, biochemistry, and related fields.