Duplex
Definition
A nucleic-acid duplex consists of two associated complementary strands forming a paired structure. DNA strands in a typical duplex have opposite orientations; suitable denaturation conditions can separate them for subsequent steps in an amplification or other analytical method.
- Context
- Nucleic-acid structure
For example, strand separation during an appropriate amplification stage changes a paired DNA structure into strands available for later primer binding.
Compare sequences in a consistent orientation and stated region.
Related terms
- Amplicon
- The double-stranded DNA fragment produced between two PCR primers. In forensic STR typing, amplicon size determines whether a locus can be recovered...
- Denaturation
- Denaturation is disruption of a biological molecule’s usual structure under specified conditions. In PCR, it separates paired DNA strands sufficiently for subsequent...
- Mismatch
- A non-standard pairing at a position, whose effect depends on context and assay conditions. A frameshift alters a coding reading frame through...
- Reverse Complement
- Complementary sequence written in the opposite strand’s usual 5-prime to 3-prime direction. Writing a reverse complement requires both complementary bases and reversal...
Explained in
- The DNA Double Helix and Base PairingTwo associated complementary nucleic-acid strands.