If the sequence of one strand of a DNA molecule is 5' ATGGCAT 3',the sequence of the complementary strand is:
A)5' ATGGCAT 3'
B)3' ATGGCAT 5'
C)5' TACCGTA 3'
D)3' TACCGTA 5'

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The complementary strand will have the same sequence as the original strand, but with base pairs that complement the ones in the original strand. In DNA, Adenine (A) pairs with Thymine (T) and Cytosine (C) pairs with Guanine (G). So, for the original sequence 5' ATGGCAT 3', the complementary sequence must have T instead of A and G instead of C. This gives us the sequence 3' TACCGTA 5', which corresponds to choice D.

If the Sequence of One Strand of a DNA Molecule