Reverse Complement

Convert DNA sequences to reverse, complement, or reverse-complement

Tool Configuration
Configure the parameters for Reverse Complement

Paste raw sequence or one or more FASTA sequences. Input limit is 100,000,000 characters.

Choose the transformation to apply to the sequences.

1

Paste DNA Sequences

Enter your DNA sequences in FASTA format or as raw sequences. The tool supports standard IUPAC DNA codes including ambiguity codes.

2

Select Operation Type

Choose whether to generate the reverse-complement, reverse only, or complement only. Reverse-complement is most common for primer design.

3

Execute the Transformation

Click execute to transform your sequences. The tool preserves case and properly handles all IUPAC ambiguity codes (R, Y, S, W, K, M, etc.).

4

Download Results

Save the transformed sequences for use in primer design, ORF analysis, or sequence alignment applications.

Use Cases
Common applications for the Reverse Complement tool

ORF Analysis

Work with the reverse-complement if a sequence contains an open reading frame (ORF) on the reverse strand.

Primer Design

Generate reverse-complement sequences for designing reverse primers in PCR applications.

Sequence Alignment

Prepare sequences for alignment when comparing forward and reverse strands.

Palindrome Detection

Identify palindromic sequences and restriction sites by comparing sequences with their reverse-complements.

IUPAC DNA Codes (Supported)

A = Adenine
C = Cytosine
G = Guanine
T = Thymine
U = Uracil
R = A or G (puRine)
Y = C or T (pYrimidine)
S = G or C (Strong)
W = A or T (Weak)
K = G or T (Keto)
M = A or C (aMino)
B = C, G, or T (not A)
D = A, G, or T (not C)
H = A, C, or T (not G)
V = A, C, or G (not T)
N = Any base

Operation Examples

Original:
ATCG
Reverse:
GCTA
(reversed order)
Complement:
TAGC
(A↔T, C↔G)
Reverse-complement:
CGAT
(both operations)