What are the monomer subunits of nucleic acids called?

Nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, are made up of building blocks known as nucleotides. Each nucleotide serves as a monomer subunit and consists of three components: a phosphate group, a five-carbon sugar (deoxyribose in DNA and ribose in RNA), and a nitrogenous base (which can be adenine, thymine, cytosine, guanine, or uracil). These nucleotides link together through phosphodiester bonds to form the long chains that make up nucleic acids.

Understanding that nucleotides are the fundamental units of nucleic acids is essential for grasping how genetic information is stored and transmitted within biological systems. Other types of biological molecules, such as proteins or lipids, are formed from different kinds of subunits, which is crucial in distinguishing the roles and structures within cellular processes.