SW StudyWalks

Biology  /  Bio 1207  ·  Atom · ~20 seconds

Antiparallel Strand Orientation

Video not yet published
to the StudyWalks catalog
State

DNA's two strands run antiparallel, one oriented 5' to 3' and its partner oriented 3' to 5' across the same helix.

Show

A phosphate on one strand's 5' carbon end faces its partner strand's 3' hydroxyl end at each end of the helix.

Watch for

Antiparallel orientation is not the same fact as complementary base pairing — a helix needs both to hold its shape.