If a portion of a strand of DNA bases reads 5' AGCTAGCGT 3', what would the sequence of bases on the complementary strand read?

Rationale

The sequence of bases on the complementary strand would read 3' TCGATCGCA 5'.

In DNA, the bases pair according to specific rules: Adenine (A) pairs with Thymine (T), and Guanine (G) pairs with Cytosine (C). Therefore, the sequence 5' AGCTAGCGT 3' would pair with 3' TCGATCGCA 5' on the opposite DNA strand.

A (3' AGCTAGCGT 5') YOUR ANSWER

This is not the correct sequence because it's identical to the given sequence. DNA strands are complementary, not identical, and run in antiparallel direction. This sequence does not show the correct base pairing nor the correct orientation.

B (5' UCGAUCGCA 3') YOUR ANSWER

This sequence is incorrect as it uses Uracil (U), which is not a DNA base. Uracil replaces Thymine in RNA, not DNA. Therefore, this sequence could potentially be a complementary sequence in an RNA strand, not DNA.

C (3' TCGATCGCA 5') CORRECT

This is the correct sequence. The DNA bases pair as follows: A with T and G with C. Moreover, DNA strands are antiparallel, hence the 3' to 5' orientation is correct.

D (5' TCGUTCGCU 3') YOUR ANSWER

This sequence is incorrect for two reasons. Firstly, it uses Uracil (U), which does not occur in DNA. Secondly, the direction of the sequence is 5' to 3', which would be parallel to the given sequence. DNA strands are antiparallel.

Conclusion

DNA strands are complementary and antiparallel. The bases pair according to specific rules: A with T and G with C. Therefore, a DNA sequence reading 5' AGCTAGCGT 3' would have a complementary strand reading 3' TCGATCGCA 5'. The other options either do not respect the base pairing rules, use the incorrect base (Uracil instead of Thymine), or are oriented in the same direction as the given sequence, which does not respect the antiparallel nature of DNA strands.

If a portion of a strand of DNA bases reads 5' AGCTAGCGT 3', what would the sequence of bases on the complementary strand read?

The sequence of bases on the complementary strand would read 3' TCGATCGCA 5'.

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