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AAT Bioquest

What is the significance of RNA complementary base pairs?

Posted April 5, 2024


Answer

RNA complementary base pairing ensures the accurate translation of genetic information from DNA to RNA and from RNA to proteins. During transcription, RNA polymerase synthesizes RNA molecules with complementary bases to the DNA template. Then, during translation, ribosomes use mRNA as a template to guide the assembly of amino acids into proteins, following the codon-anticodon complementary base pairing rule. Additionally, complementary base pairs allow for the prediction of one RNA strand's sequence based on the known sequence of bases in the other strand. The complementarity of base pairs also allows information encoded in RNA to be stored in a single strand.

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