A portion of one strand of DNA has the sequence 5′ AATGGCTTA 3′. If this strand is used as a template for DNA replication, which of the following correctly depicts the sequence of the newly synthesized strand in the direction in which it will be synthesized?
A)3′ TTACCGAAT 5′
B)5′ TAAGCCATT 3′
C)3′ AATGGCTTA 5′
D)5′ AATGGCTTA 3′

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

During DNA replication, the newly synthesized strand will have the complementary nucleotides to the template strand. Adenine pairs with thymine and guanine pairs with cytosine. Therefore, the sequence of the newly synthesized strand will be 3′ TTACCGAAT 5′, which is the complementary sequence to the template strand 5′ AATGGCTTA 3′. Choice B correctly depicts this sequence.

A Portion of One Strand of DNA Has the Sequence