Question

Question: The sequence of bases in one strand of DNA reads ACTTGACCG. Write the sequence of bases in the complementary strand.

Short answer

The sequence of the complementary strands is${\text{3}}^{\text{'}}{\text{- TGAACTGGC -5}}^{\text{'}}$. The sequence of the complementary strand depends on the pairing of the bases.

Step-by-step solution

Nitrogenous bases in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a biopolymer. DNA consists of nitrogenous bases which non-covalently bond with each other. There are four nitrogenous bases. These are adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T), and cytosine (C).

Sequence of the bases in complementary strands.

The beginning of one strand${\text{5}}^{\text{'}}{\text{to3}}^{\text{'}}$ is paired with the opposite end of the other ${\text{5}}^{\text{'}}{\text{to3}}^{\text{'}}$. According to base pairing in DNA, cytosine(C) is always associated with guanine (G), and adenine (A) is always associated with thymine (T).

The sequence ACTTGACCG is ${\text{5}}^{\text{'}}{\text{- ACTTGACCG -3}}^{\text{'}}$.

The sequence of complementary strands is ${\text{3}}^{\text{'}}{\text{- TGAACTGGC -5}}^{\text{'}}$.