Madison H. answered 06/25/22
High School & Early College Chemistry Tutor
Note: Verbage is important; replicating DNA is the process of 'unbending' the double helix of DNA and applying complementary nucleotides to the single sequence, while transcription involves RNA, and the substituded nucleotide uracil in place of thymine, the mechanism of protein synthesis.
To replicate this sequence you simply have to know which purines or pyrimidines pair. Pyrimidines include Cytosine and Thymine, and the purines are adenine and guanine. If it helps, 'opposites attract' can help you remember that pyrimidines will only pair with purines (no cytosine bonded to thymine, no adenine bonded to guanine). So, nucleotides adenine will pair with thymine, and cytosine with guanine. Now, you can add your matching letters.
5' A T G A A A C G C T T T G C C T A A 3'
3' T A C T T T G C G A A A C G G A T T 5'
also important to note, the 'ends' of DNA are identified based on the 5' or 3' end, with opposite locations to each strand. So, if you are asked to replicate the strand you have given, do not be fooled with seemingly matching strands of nucleotides, but with mismatched 5' or 3' ends. Personally, it helps me to write the corresponding letters first, and then assign the 5' or 3' ends based off the given sequence, rather than get confused on which way the sequence should be read.
Hopes this helps :)