Question

Given below is a sample of the portion of a DNA strand with the complementary base sequence on the opposite strand. What does this sequence represent?
5'-GAATTC-3'
3'-CTTAAG-5'

• A. Deletion mutation
• B. Start codon at the 5' end
• C. A palindromic sequence of base pairs
• D. Replication completed

Answer 1

The correct option is C

A palindromic sequence of base pairs

A palindromic sequence is a sequence of nucleotides within a DNA double helix, that is the same when read from 5' to 3' on one strand and 5' to 3' on the other, complementary strand. The given sequence reads GAATTC in both strands when reading from 5' - 3'. Hence, this is a palindromic sequence.