Question

What is the relationship between the Coding Strand sequence and the mRNA sequence produced during transcription?

Options

• Identical to the template strand sequence

• Complementary to mRNA

• Reverse complement of mRNA

• Same sequence as mRNA (except T → U)

Answer 1

The Coding Strand has the same sequence as the mRNA transcript, except that thymine (T) in DNA is replaced by uracil (U) in RNA. This is why the Coding Strand is also called the Sense strand – its sequence directly reflects the sense, or meaning, of the mRNA message that will be produced from the complementary Template Strand.