Template strand and Coding strand: The term template strand refers to the sequence of DNA that is copied during the synthesis of mRNA. The opposite strand (that is, the strand with a base sequence directly corresponding to the mRNA sequence) is called the coding strand or the mRNA-like strand because the sequence corresponds to the codons that are translated into protein.

Although RNA polymerase must recognize sequences on the template strand, by convention we draw the DNA sequence and regulatory signals on the “mRNA-like” strand. (This makes it simpler to directly determine the sequence of the resulting RNA.) The following cartoon shows this concept for a hypothetical gene.

Difference Between Template Strand and Coding Strand

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By Team Learning Mantras