Question

What is half of a DNA strand called?

Answer 1

DNA-Deoxyribonucleic Acid

1. DNA is a group of molecules that is responsible for carrying and transmitting the hereditary materials or the genetic instructions from parents to offspring.
2. DNA is known as Deoxyribonucleic Acid. It is an organic compound that has a unique molecular structure. It is found in all prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells.
3. This structure is described as a double-helix composed of units called nucleotides, and each nucleotide is composed of three different components such as sugar, phosphate groups, and nitrogen bases.
4. The basic building blocks of DNA are nucleotides, which are composed of a sugar group, a phosphate group, and a nitrogen base. The sugar and phosphate groups link the nucleotides together to form each strand of DNA. Adenine (A), Thymine (T), Guanine (G), and Cytosine (C) are four types of nitrogen bases.

Half DNA strand:

1. Watson and Crick suggested that one half of the DNA ladder serves as a template to create the other half during DNA replication.
2. Hence, one serves as a template strand rendering instructions to the newly synthesized strand.
3. The two strands of DNA run in opposite directions.
4. These strands are held together by the hydrogen bond that is present between the two complementary bases.
5. The strands are helically twisted, where each strand forms a right-handed coil, and ten nucleotides make up a single turn.