Final answer:
Exonucleases can break phosphodiester bonds within the sugar-phosphate backbone and hydrogen bonds between complementary bases in nucleic acid molecules.
Step-by-step explanation:
Exonucleases are enzymes that cleave nucleic acid molecules by removing nucleotides from the ends of the molecules. There are two types of bonds that exonucleases can break:
- Phosphodiester bonds within the sugar-phosphate backbone: Exonucleases can break the phosphodiester bonds between adjacent nucleotides in the DNA or RNA backbone. This allows the enzyme to remove nucleotides one by one from the end of the molecule.
- Hydrogen bonds between complementary bases: Exonucleases can also break the hydrogen bonds that hold together the complementary bases in a nucleic acid molecule. This allows the enzyme to separate the two strands of the molecule.