Phosphate Group Definition

A negative-charged functional group or radical composed primarily of phosphorus connected to four oxygen atoms. The sign PO^4– is used to represent it.

The phosphate group plays a variety of roles in living organisms.

To begin with, it is a crucial structural component of the nucleotide, which is the fundamental structural unit of DNA and RNA.

Second, it is a constituent of energy-dense molecules like ATP.

Finally, it is linked to coenzymes involved in anabolic processes, such as NADP/NADPH (such as photosynthesis in plants and lipid synthesis in animals).

In biological membranes, it is also a component of the hydrophilic head of phospholipids.