Which answer choice below correctly describes the structure of DNA?(1 point)
Responses
Sugar-phosphate backbone with nitrogen bases coming off a single helix.
Sugar-phosphate backbone with nitrogen bases coming off a single helix.
Nitrogen bases on the outside with sugar-phosphate in the middle of a double helix.
Nitrogen bases on the outside with sugar-phosphate in the middle of a double helix.
A sugar-phosphate backbone with nitrogen bases in the middle forming a double helix.
A sugar-phosphate backbone with nitrogen bases in the middle forming a double helix.
Sugar-nitrogen base backbone with phosphates in the middle forming a double helix.
A sugar-phosphate backbone with nitrogen bases in the middle forming a double helix.
The correct answer is:
A sugar-phosphate backbone with nitrogen bases in the middle forming a double helix.
The correct answer choice that describes the structure of DNA is:
A sugar-phosphate backbone with nitrogen bases in the middle forming a double helix.
To understand this, let's break it down:
1. The backbone of DNA is made up of alternating sugar (deoxyribose) and phosphate molecules. These sugar-phosphate units form the outer edges or sides of the DNA molecule.
2. The nitrogen bases (adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine) are connected to the sugar molecules and extend into the interior of the DNA molecule.
3. The nitrogen bases pair up with each other: adenine (A) with thymine (T) and guanine (G) with cytosine (C). This is known as base pairing.
4. The structure of DNA is a double helix, meaning it consists of two strands that wrap around each other in a twisted ladder-like shape.
Therefore, the correct answer is: A sugar-phosphate backbone with nitrogen bases in the middle forming a double helix.