When Isis' antisense strand latched on there, it activated an enzyme that destroys the RNA that codes for PKC-alpha.

FORBES: Antisense and Sensibility

The goal was to jam the works by synthesizing an antisense strand of DNA to gum up the RNA section that codes for PKC-alpha.

FORBES: Antisense and Sensibility

The second strand of nucleotides is the complement of the sense strand, but reads completely differently, hence the name antisense.

FORBES: Antisense and Sensibility

The terms sense and antisense were coined by Paul Zamecnik to show the complementary, double-strand nature of DNA. One strand consisted of alternating patterns of the four nucleotides that make up DNA adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine and it could be read in order.

FORBES: Antisense and Sensibility

And if sense and antisense should meet, the resulting double-stranded molecule no longer works, so the protein the sense strand encodes is not made any more.

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