MadSci Network: Molecular Biology |
As you know, the base sequences of the two strands of a DNA double helix are complementary. If you know the sequence of one strand (e.g. 5'...GAATGGC...3'), you automatically know the sequence of the complementary strand (in this case 3'...CTTACCG...3'). The information carried by ONE of the two strands is sufficient to synthesize an exact copy of the complementary strand. Another way of saying this is that each DNA strand can serve as template for the synthesis of the complementary strand, since both strands carry essentially the same (=complementary) information. The result of this template-directed DNA replication is the faithful duplication of the original molecule into two identical double stranded molecules that can be passed on to the daughter cells during cell division.
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