Final answer:
A nucleoside contains a sugar molecule and a nitrogenous base but lacks a phosphate group. On the other hand, a nucleotide includes a nucleoside with one or more phosphate groups. dNTP stands for deoxynucleotide triphosphate and is used in DNA synthesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
Nucleosides and nucleotides are both important molecules involved in the structure and function of DNA and RNA. A nucleoside consists of a nitrogenous base attached to a sugar molecule, either ribose or deoxyribose, but it lacks a phosphate group. On the other hand, a nucleotide includes a nucleoside with one or more phosphate groups attached to the sugar molecule. The phosphate groups provide energy and are essential for the replication, transcription, and translation processes in DNA and RNA.
The abbreviation dNTP stands for deoxynucleotide triphosphate. It refers to a type of nucleotide that is used in DNA synthesis. dNTPs provide the building blocks for the polymerization of DNA strands during replication. They are composed of a deoxyribose sugar, a nitrogenous base (adenine, cytosine, guanine, or thymine), and three phosphate groups. The dNTPs are incorporated into the growing DNA chain to form phosphodiester bonds.