Complementary DNA

Okay kiddo, so you know that our body is made up of tiny little things called cells. And inside these cells, there is something called DNA, which is like an instruction manual for the body. It tells our body what to do and how to grow.

Now, DNA is made up of four kinds of molecules called bases – Adenine (A), Thymine (T), Cytosine (C), and Guanine (G). These bases pair up in a specific way like puzzle pieces – A always pairs with T and C always pairs with G.

But sometimes scientists want to study or use a specific part of this DNA, and it’s not always easy to do that. That's where complementary DNA (cDNA) comes in!

cDNA is a copy of a specific part of the DNA that we want to study or use. It's made in a laboratory by taking a molecule called RNA that's found in the cell and converting it back into its matching DNA form. This is done by using an enzyme called reverse transcriptase.

Once we have the cDNA, we can use it for many different purposes like studying genes, making medicines, or even creating new organisms.

So, think of it like this - if DNA is a big book containing instructions for everything, cDNA is like a bookmark that we can use to easily find and read a specific chapter or page.