| base pairing | <molecular biology> The specific hydrogen bonding between purines and pyrimidines in double stranded nucleic acids. In DNA the pairs are adenine and thymine and guanine and cytosine, while in RNA they are adenine and uracil and guanine and cytosine. Base pairing leads to the formation of a DNA double helix from two complementary single strands. (15 Nov 1997) |
|---|---|
| chromosome pairing | The process in synapsis whereby homologous chromosome's align opposite each other before disjoining in the formation of the daughter cell; the apposition permits exchange of genetic material in crossing-over. (05 Mar 2000) |
| complementary base pairing | <molecular biology> The pairing of complementary nucleotide bases (adenine and thymine, guanine and cytosine) to each other via hydrogen bonds from opposite strands of a double stranded nucleic acid (such as DNA or RNA), thereby holding the double-stranded nucleic acid together. (09 Oct 1997) |
| ectopic pairing | Pairing of heterochromatin randomly, without regard to whether they are homologous. (09 Oct 1997) |