Complement (genetics) - Definition and Overview

See also complement for an account of the general usage of this word and numerous specialized usages.

See also complementary DNA. (Should these two articles get merged?)

In genetics, a double-stranded DNA or RNA strand consists of two complementary strands of base pairs, which are non-covalently connected via two or three hydrogen bonds.

Since there is only one complementary base for any of the bases found in DNA/RNA, one can reconstruct a complementary strand for any single strand. This is essential for DNA replication.

For example, the complementary strand of the DNA sequence

A G T C A T G

is

T C A G T A C

See also

Watson and Crick Base Pairing