Dyad symmetry

In genetics, dyad symmetry refers to two areas of a DNA strand whose base pair sequences are inverted repeats of each other.

For example, the following shows dyad symmetry between sequences GAATAC and GTATTC which are reverse complements of each other.

This structure is thought to destabilize the binding of RNA polymerase enzyme to DNA (hence terminating transcription).

Dyad symmetry is known to have a role in the rho independent method of transcription termination in E. coli.

[citation needed] Regions of dyad symmetry in the DNA sequence stall the RNA polymerase enzyme as it transcribes them.