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The DNA Helix

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The DNA Helix

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Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is the genetic material responsible for passing traits from generation to generation in all organisms and most viruses. DNA is composed of two strands of nucleotides that wind around each other to form a spring-like structure called a double helix. However, the double helix is not perfectly symmetrical. Instead, there are regularly occurring grooves in the structure. The major groove occurs where the sugar-phosphate backbones are relatively far apart. This space...

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Nucleic Acid Structure

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The pentose sugar in DNA is deoxyribose, while in RNA the pentose sugar is ribose. The difference between the sugars is the presence of the hydroxyl group on the ribose's second carbon and a hydrogen on the deoxyribose's second carbon. The phosphate residue attaches to the hydroxyl group of the 5′ carbon of one sugar and the hydroxyl group of the 3′ carbon of the sugar of the next nucleotide, which forms a 5′ to 3′ phosphodiester linkage.
DNA Structure
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DNA as a Genetic Template

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Two structural features of the DNA molecule provide a basis for the mechanisms of heredity: the four nucleotide bases and its double-stranded nature. The Watson-Crick model of double-helical DNA structure, proposed in 1952, drew heavily upon the X-ray crystallography work of researchers Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins. Watson, Crick, and Wilkins jointly received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work in 1962. Franklin was, controversially, excluded from the prize for...

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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Self-assembly of Complex Two-dimensional Shapes from Single-stranded DNA Tiles

Self-assembly of Complex Two-dimensional Shapes from Single-stranded DNA Tiles

Published on: May 8, 2015

Construction of a structurally defined double-stranded DNA catenane.

Thorsten L Schmidt¹, Alexander Heckel

¹Cluster of Excellence Macromolecular Complexes, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, 60438 Frankfurt/M, Germany.

|March 18, 2011

Summary

Researchers created double-stranded DNA catenanes, which are interlocked molecules. These DNA catenanes are essential for building nanoscale molecular machines and motors, advancing DNA nanotechnology.

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Area of Science:

Supramolecular Chemistry
Nanotechnology
Molecular Engineering

Background:

Topologically interlocked structures, such as catenanes and rotaxanes, are fundamental building blocks for advanced molecular machines and motors.
DNA nanotechnology offers a versatile platform for constructing complex nanoscale architectures due to its programmability and self-assembly properties.

Purpose of the Study:

To describe the construction of double-stranded DNA catenanes for applications in DNA nanotechnology.
To develop a method for creating interlocked DNA structures using sequence-specific recognition.

Main Methods:

Utilized C-shaped DNA minicircle fragments functionalized with sequence-specific DNA-binding polyamides and their corresponding binding sites.
Achieved catenane formation through the self-assembly of two functionalized DNA fragments.
Completed the catenane structure via the addition of a ring-closing oligonucleotide.

Main Results:

Successfully synthesized double-stranded DNA catenanes through a multi-step self-assembly process.
Demonstrated the feasibility of using sequence-specific polyamides to direct the formation of interlocked DNA structures.
Established a method for constructing complex topological architectures using DNA components.

Conclusions:

The developed method enables the construction of double-stranded DNA catenanes, expanding the toolkit for DNA nanotechnology.
These DNA catenanes hold significant potential for the fabrication of novel molecular machines and motors.
This work contributes to the advancement of supramolecular chemistry and the design of programmable nanoscale systems.