Nucleoside

A nucleoside consists of a nitrogenous base bonded to a sugar, without phosphate. Its base and sugar together form a structural unit used in nucleic acids and cellular metabolism.

Nitrogenous base: A nitrogen-containing molecule that can serve as a nucleic-acid base, such as adenine or cytosine. Its identity distinguishes one nucleoside from another.
Nucleoside kinase: An enzyme that transfers phosphate from ATP to a nucleoside. It converts nucleosides into nucleotide monophosphates.
Nucleoside analogue: A synthetic or modified molecule resembling a natural nucleoside in structure. Drug designers modify nucleoside structures to disrupt nucleic-acid synthesis.
Nucleic acid: A polymer of nucleotides, including DNA and RNA, that stores or transmits genetic information. Nucleosides provide the base-and-sugar units that become part of nucleic-acid chains.
Ribose: A five-carbon sugar found in RNA and many cellular molecules. Bonded to a base, it forms ribonucleosides such as adenosine.
Salvage pathway: A metabolic route that recycles components of biomolecules into usable products. Nucleoside salvage recovers bases or nucleosides to rebuild nucleotides.
Acyclovir: An antiviral drug that inhibits viral DNA synthesis after activation in infected cells. Its guanosine-like structure makes it a prominent nucleoside-analogue treatment.
Purine: A two-ring nitrogen-containing molecule that forms the core of adenine and guanine. A purine base forms the base component of purine nucleosides.
2-Deoxyribose: A five-carbon sugar in DNA that lacks ribose’s hydroxyl group at the 2′ carbon. Bonded to a base, it forms deoxyribonucleosides.
De novo nucleotide synthesis: The biosynthesis of nucleotides from small precursor molecules rather than recycled components. It supplies nucleotides without relying on recycled nucleosides or bases.

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