Base pair (bp)
Definition
A complementary pairing of nitrogenous bases on opposite strands of double-stranded DNA: adenine with thymine (two hydrogen bonds) or guanine with cytosine (three hydrogen bonds). Fragment length in forensic analysis is measured in base pairs, and the number of repeating base pairs defines STR allele sizes.
Related terms
- Antiparallel orientation
- The two strands of the DNA double helix run in opposite directions: one strand reads 5' to 3', its complement reads 3'...
- Complementarity
- The property by which each base pairs with only one specific partner (A with T, G with C). Complementarity allows a single...
- Denaturation
- The separation of double-stranded DNA into two single strands by disrupting the hydrogen bonds between base pairs. In PCR, denaturation is achieved...
- Nucleotide
- The monomer unit of nucleic acids. Each nucleotide consists of a five-carbon sugar (deoxyribose in DNA, ribose in RNA), a phosphate group,...
- Phosphodiester bond
- The covalent linkage between consecutive nucleotides in a strand, formed between the phosphate group and the 3'-OH of the preceding sugar and...
Explained in
- Nucleic Acids: Structure and FunctionA complementary pairing of nitrogenous bases on opposite strands of double-stranded DNA: adenine with thymine (two hydrogen bonds) or guanine with cytosine (th...