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.