How many hydrogen bonds are formed between G-C base pairs?

Guanine (G) and cytosine (C) form three hydrogen bonds between their base pairs. This is crucial for the stability of the DNA double helix structure, where the specific pairing between bases, known as complementary base pairing, ensures the integrity of genetic information.

The three hydrogen bonds formed between G and C contribute to a stronger interaction compared to the pairing of adenine (A) with thymine (T), which only forms two hydrogen bonds. This difference in the number of hydrogen bonds is significant in biological systems, particularly in the context of DNA melting temperature and stability under physiological conditions. The three hydrogen bonds also explain why regions of DNA rich in G-C pairs are typically more thermally stable than those rich in A-T pairs.

Understanding this fundamental aspect of DNA structure assists in various applications, such as PCR temperature settings and the design of nucleic acid probes, making knowledge of hydrogen bonding in base pairs particularly relevant in biochemistry and molecular biology.