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DNA as a Genetic Template

DNA as a Genetic Template

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...

DNA as a Genetic Template

DNA as a Genetic Template

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...

From DNA to Protein

From DNA to Protein

The flow of genetic information in cells from DNA to mRNA to protein is described by the central dogma, which states that genes specify the sequence of mRNAs, which in turn specify the sequence of amino acids making up all proteins. The decoding of one molecule to another is performed by specific proteins and RNAs. Because the information stored in DNA is so central to cellular function, it makes intuitive sense that the cell would make mRNA copies of this information for protein synthesis...

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...

The Central Dogma

The Central Dogma

The Central Dogma

The Central Dogma

The central dogma explains the flow of genetic information from DNA nucleotides to the amino acid sequence of proteins.
RNA is the Missing Link Between DNA and Proteins
In the early 1900s, scientists discovered that DNA stores all the information needed for cellular functions and that proteins perform most of these functions. However, the mechanisms of converting genetic information into functional proteins remained unknown for many years. Initially, it was believed that a single gene is...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Designing a Bio-responsive Robot from DNA Origami

Designing a Bio-responsive Robot from DNA Origami

Published on: July 8, 2013

DNA shape, genetic codes, and evolution.

Stephen C J Parker¹, Thomas D Tullius

¹Genome Informatics Section, Genome Technology Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

Current Opinion in Structural Biology

|March 29, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Beyond the standard genetic code, DNA shape variations encode regulatory information. DNA shape influences biological function and is subject to evolutionary selection, suggesting hidden layers of genomic information.

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Area of Science:

Genomics
Molecular Biology
Bioinformatics

Background:

The canonical genetic code translates nucleotide sequences into protein sequences.
Emerging evidence suggests additional information is encoded within the human genome.
DNA sequence-dependent variations in DNA shape are a potential mechanism for encoding regulatory information.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the role of DNA shape in encoding biological information.
To highlight recent advances in understanding shape-dependent DNA recognition and its implications.

Main Methods:

Review of recent research on DNA shape recognition.
Analysis of sequence-dependent variations in DNA shape.
Examination of evolutionary selection pressures related to DNA shape.

Main Results:

DNA shape, influenced by minor groove width and electrostatics, is recognized by proteins.
Overlapping codes exist within protein-coding regions.
Evolutionary selection favors nucleotide changes that maintain nucleosome occupancy through DNA shape modulation.

Conclusions:

DNA shape plays a crucial role in biological functions.
The importance of DNA shape suggests it is under evolutionary constraint.
Hidden layers of information encoded by DNA shape are increasingly recognized.