Question

Explain the significance of complementary base pairing in the conservation of the base sequence of DNA.

Answer 1

Chargaff's rule states that A (adenine) only bonds with T (thymine) and C (cytosine) only bonds with G (guanine) in a DNA strand. Since DNA replication is semi-conservative, this complementary base pairing allows two of the DNA molecules to be identical to each other as they have the same base sequence. The new strands made are complementary to their template strands and also identical to the other template. Complementary base pairing is important in the conservation of the base sequence of DNA because adenine always pairs with thymine, while guanine pairs up with cytosine. All in all, complementary base pairing has a huge role in the conservation of the base sequence of DNA.