AIIMS 2019 Botany DNA Replication MCQ Question

DNA polymerase catalyzes the formation of phosphodiester bonds between nucleotides during DNA replication, linking the 5' phosphate group of one nucleotide to the 3' hydroxyl group of another, releasing a molecule of H₂O in the process. Option D, "Ester bond," is incorrect because, while phosphodiester bonds involve ester linkages, they specifically refer to the bonds formed in nucleic acids, not general ester bonds. Hydrogen bonds (options B and C) are important for stabilizing the double helix structure of DNA but do not link nucleotides together.