Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
The annealing process in molecular biology refers to the recombination of complementary strands of DNA or RNA to form a double-stranded molecule after being separated (usually by heat).
Related terms
Hybridization: This term refers to the pairing of complementary DNA or RNA sequences. It's another name for the annealing process.
Primer: A short nucleic acid sequence that provides a starting point for DNA synthesis. During PCR, primers bind to target DNA during the annealing phase.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR): A technique used to amplify specific segments of DNA. The annealing process is a crucial step in PCR.