The key difference between adenosine and deoxyadenosine is that adenosine is a ribonucleoside that has ribose sugar moiety in its structure, while deoxyadenosine is a deoxyribonucleoside that has deoxyribose sugar moiety in its structure.
Nucleosides are glycosylamines. A nucleoside consists of a nucleobase (nitrogenous base) and a five-carbon sugar. Based on the sugar moiety, nucleosides are of two types. If a nucleoside has ribose sugar moiety, it is called a ribonucleoside. If a nucleoside has deoxyribose sugar moiety, it is called a deoxyribonucleoside. In a nucleoside, the anomeric carbon is linked through a glyosidic bond to the N9 of a purine or the N1 of a pyrimidine. Nucleosides are converted to nucleotides when one or more phosphate groups bind to their structure. Nucleotides are the building blocks of DNA and RNA. Adenosine and deoxyadenosine are two types of nucleosides that contain an adenine nitrogenous base.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Adenosine
3. What is Deoxyadenosine
4. Similarities – Adenosine and Deoxyadenosine
5. Adenosine vs Deoxyadenosine in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Adenosine vs Deoxyadenosine
What is Adenosine?
Adenosine is a ribonucleoside containing an adenine nitrogenous base and ribose sugar moiety in its structure. Adenosine does not have any bound phosphate groups. This molecule consists of adenine attached to a ribose sugar moiety via a β-N9-glycosidic bond. Adenosine is an organic compound that can widely occur in nature.
Figure 01: Adenosine
Adenosine is one of the four nucleoside building blocks of RNA that are essential for all life forms. Moreover, its derivatives include energy carriers such as adenosine mono, di, and triphosphate (AMP/ADP/ATP). Adenosyl (Ad) is the radical formed after the removal of the 5’ hydroxyl (OH) group. It is found in vitamin B12 and radical SAM enzymes. Furthermore, adenosine is also used as a medication. It is useful in the treatment of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). It is also used as an adjunct to thallium myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (nuclear stress test) in patients unable to undergo adequate stress testing with exercise.
What is Deoxyadenosine?
Deoxyadenosine is a deoxyribonucleoside that has a deoxyribose sugar moiety in its structure. It differs from adenosine. In the case of deoxyadenosine, the hydroxyl group in the sugar moiety at the 2’ position is replaced by an H atom. This replacement converts ribose sugar moiety into deoxyribose sugar moiety. It is also one of the four nucleoside building blocks of DNA. The chemical formula of deoxyadenosine is C10H13N5O3.
Figure 02: Deoxyadenosine
Deoxyadenosine is the DNA nucleoside A that pairs with DNA nucleoside T (deoxythymidine) in double-stranded DNA. In the absence of adenosine deaminase (ADA), deoxyadenosine tends to accumulate in T lymphocytes and kill these cells. This process results in a genetic disorder called adenosine deaminase severe combined immunodeficiency disease (ADA-SCID). Furthermore, it has a role as a human metabolite, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolite, an Escherichia coli metabolite, and a mouse metabolite.
What are the Similarities Between Adenosine and Deoxyadenosine?
- Adenosine and deoxyadenosine are two types of nucleosides.
- Both nucleosides contain an adenine nitrogenous base.
- These nucleosides contain sugar moiety.
- Both nucleosides do not have bound phosphate groups.
- They are organic compounds.
- They are important constituents of RNA and DNA.
What is the Difference Between Adenosine and Deoxyadenosine?
Adenosine is a ribonucleoside that has a ribose sugar moiety in its structure, while deoxyadenosine is a deoxyribonucleoside that has a deoxyribose sugar moiety in its structure. Thus, this is the key difference between adenosine and deoxyadenosine. Furthermore, adenosine is one of the four nucleoside building blocks to RNA, while deoxyadenosine is one of the four nucleoside building blocks to DNA.
The below infographic presents the differences between adenosine and deoxyadenosine in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Adenosine vs Deoxyadenosine
Adenosine and deoxyadenosine are two types of nucleosides that contain an adenine nitrogenous base. Adenosine has a ribose sugar moiety in its structure, while deoxyadenosine has a deoxyribose sugar moiety in its structure. So, this is the key difference between adenosine and deoxyadenosine.