Reverse Complement
Definition
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 of the written direction. A sequence written in the opposite orientation is not necessarily a different genetic result.
- Context
- Nucleic-acid structure
For example, the reverse complement of the DNA sequence 5′-ATGC-3′ is written 5′-GCAT-3′ when the opposite strand is expressed in the usual direction.
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...
- Antiparallel
- Antiparallel describes the opposite directional orientations of paired nucleic-acid strands: one runs 5-prime to 3-prime while the other runs oppositely. Recognising that...
- Degradation Index
- A ratio or combination of RNA abundance measurements designed to capture the state of degradation of a sample. Often calculated as the...
- Denaturation
- Denaturation is disruption of a biological molecule’s usual structure under specified conditions. In PCR, it separates paired DNA strands sufficiently for subsequent...
- Duplex
- A nucleic-acid duplex consists of two associated complementary strands forming a paired structure. DNA strands in a typical duplex have opposite orientations;...
- Mismatch
- A non-standard pairing at a position, whose effect depends on context and assay conditions. A frameshift alters a coding reading frame through...
- Nucleotide
- A nucleotide is a molecular building block containing a base, a sugar and phosphate-related structure. DNA and RNA contain different sugars and...
- Transcript
- An RNA molecule produced from a DNA template through transcription. Exons can remain in mature transcripts and can contain coding or untranslated...
Explained in these topics
- The DNA Double Helix and Base Pairing
- Nucleic Acids: Structure and FunctionThe complementary sequence written in the opposite strand’s 5-prime to 3-prime direction.