Multiple Choice
Which three components make up an ATP molecule?
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1. Introduction to Biochemistry
Nucleic Acids
Multiple Choice
In the context of nucleic acids, ATP is structurally most similar to which type of molecule?
A
A pyrimidine nucleotide (e.g., cytidine triphosphate)
B
A nucleic acid polymer (a long chain of nucleotides such as DNA or RNA)
C
A deoxyribonucleoside (adenine attached to deoxyribose with no phosphate groups)
D
A ribonucleotide (adenosine triphosphate is a purine nucleoside with three phosphate groups)
Verified step by step guidance1
Step 1: Understand the structure of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP consists of three main components: a nitrogenous base (adenine), a sugar (ribose), and three phosphate groups attached to the 5' carbon of the ribose.
Step 2: Recall the types of nucleotides and related molecules: a pyrimidine nucleotide contains a pyrimidine base (cytosine, thymine, or uracil), a nucleic acid polymer is a long chain of nucleotides linked by phosphodiester bonds, and a deoxyribonucleoside is a nitrogenous base attached to deoxyribose without phosphate groups.
Step 3: Compare ATP to these molecules by focusing on the sugar and phosphate groups. ATP has ribose (not deoxyribose) and three phosphate groups, making it a ribonucleotide with triphosphate.
Step 4: Recognize that ATP is structurally most similar to a ribonucleotide because it contains a purine base (adenine), ribose sugar, and phosphate groups, matching the definition of a ribonucleotide triphosphate.
Step 5: Conclude that ATP is not a pyrimidine nucleotide (different base), not a nucleic acid polymer (not a chain), and not a deoxyribonucleoside (has ribose and phosphate groups), so the correct structural similarity is to a ribonucleotide.
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