DNA sequence - Definition and Overview

A DNA sequence (sometimes genetic sequence) is a succession of letters representing the primary structure of a real or hypothetical DNA molecule or strand, The possible letters are A, C, G, and T, representing the four nucleotide subunits of a DNA strand (adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine), and typically these are printed abutting one another without gaps, as in the sequence AAAGTCTGAC. This coded sequence is sometimes referred to as genetic information. A succession of any number of nucleotides greater than four is liable to be called a sequence. With regard to its biological function, which may depend on context, a sequence may be sense or anti-sense (see DNA), and either coding or noncoding. DNA sequences can also contain "junk DNA".

See also

• DNA
• DNA motif