Meanings
nounbase-pair breathing (uncountable)
alternative base pair breathing
- uncountablebiologyThe transient, lateral opening of a base pair in a nucleic acid molecule as a result of thermal motion or the presence of a defect
Intercalation is an energetically favourable process, and thus relates to the dynamic base-pair breathing properties of DNA itself.
2013, Michael G. Simic, Mechanisms of DNA Damage and Repair: Implications for Carcinogenesis and Risk Assessment
Cite this entry
APA
base-pair breathing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/base-pair%20breathing
MLA
“base-pair breathing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/base-pair%20breathing. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “base-pair breathing,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/base-pair%20breathing.
Source: base-pair breathing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.