base-pairing rules

plural noun

, Genetics.

1. constraints imposed by the molecular structure of DNA and RNA on the formation of hydrogen bonds among the four purine and pyrimidine bases such that adenine pairs with thymine or uracil, and guanine pairs with cytosine.

Example Sentences

They are designed to replace faulty RNA during the transcription process by snapping into place according to the standard base-pairing rules and thereby tweaking protein production.

From Scientific American

To this complex the researchers tethered an enzyme, APOBEC1, which triggers a series of chemical reactions that ultimately change C to T. DNA's base-pairing rules, which specify that a T on one DNA strand pairs with an A on the opposite strand, govern a subsequent change.

From Science Magazine

The concept behind DNA origami was laid down in the early 1980s by crystallographer Nadrian Seeman, who realized that the ability of DNA molecules to carry and transfer information according to strict base-pairing rules could be used to rationally assemble structures with precisely controlled nanoscale features.

From Nature