Antisense strand

DNA is a double stranded molecule which uses four base Nucleotides to code genetic material. In order to use the genetic code in DNA, it must undergo Transcription from DNA to MRNA. The mRNA then undergoes Translation to form a Polypeptide; which is folded in a specific way to produce a functional protein. The enzyme responsible for transcription is called RNA polymerase. It must bind to one of the strands of DNA in order to use the sequence to produce a complimentary single stranded RNA molecule. The strand that the enzyme binds to is called the antisense (or template) strand. It is the strand that runs in the 3'-5' direction.