Ribose
Ribose is a five
carbon sugar that is critical to living creatures. It is a component of the
RNA that is used for genetic transcription, and is related to
deoxyribose which is a component of
DNA. It is also a component of
ATP, NADH, and several other chemicals that are critical to the metabolic process.
Refer to the article on Deoxyribose for more information on both sugars, how they relate to each other, and how they relate to genetic material.