complementary strand

noun

, Biochemistry.

1. either of the two chains that make up a double helix of DNA, with corresponding positions on the two chains being composed of a pair of complementary bases.
2. a section of one nucleic acid chain that is bonded to another by a sequence of base pairs.

Example Sentences

The primers contain fluorescent molecules, and when they link up with a complementary strand—that is, the searched-for label—they form a double helix and glow.

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