What is complementary base pairing in DNA? Explain.

The term complementary base pairing refers to the pairing of nucleotides in the DNA helix, where guanine or G pairs with cytosine or C, and adenine or A pairs with thymine or T. In the case of RNA, adenine is base paired with uracil or U rather than thymine due to inherent structural differences between these two molecules. The base pairing is reliant on hydrogen bonds between nucleotides, which hold both strands of DNA together to form a double helix structure, but the backbone of DNA is comprised of sugar and phosphate bonds.

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