Final answer:
The four types of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates used in DNA synthesis are dATP, dCTP, dGTP, and dTTP, which combine through phosphodiester bonds to form the DNA strand.
Step-by-step explanation:
The four types of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates that serve as substrates for DNA synthesis are adenine (dATP), cytosine (dCTP), guanine (dGTP), and thymine (dTTP). These nucleotides are the building blocks of DNA, and they combine with each other via covalent bonds known as 5'-3' phosphodiester bonds.
During the DNA polymerization process, a strand of DNA extends by adding nucleotides to the 3' end of the growing strand, with two of the terminal phosphates released as pyrophosphate, which is subsequently hydrolyzed to help drive the reaction forward.