What are the components of a nucleotide?

A nucleotide is the basic building block of nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA. Each nucleotide consists of three primary components: a five-carbon sugar (ribose in RNA and deoxyribose in DNA), a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base (which can be either adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, or uracil, depending on the type of nucleic acid).

The five-carbon sugar provides the structural framework of the nucleotide, while the phosphate group is essential for linking nucleotides together through phosphodiester bonds, forming the backbone of the nucleic acid strand. The nitrogenous base encodes genetic information and is responsible for base pairing in the formation of the double helix structure in DNA or the single-stranded structure in RNA.

This understanding confirms that the correct answer incorporates these three critical components, making it essential for grasping the molecular basis of genetics and biochemistry. The other provided choices include elements that do not pertain to nucleotides, such as enzymes, fatty acids, lipids, or steroids, which are components of other macromolecules such as proteins and lipids rather than nucleic acids.