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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...

DNA as a Genetic Template

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The DNA Helix

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 19, 2026

Single-Molecule Fluorescence Visualization of DNA Polymerase Dynamics at G-Quadruplexes

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Published on: April 4, 2025

A template-assembled synthetic U-quadruplex.

Benjamin Wei-Qiang Hui¹, John C Sherman

¹Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC , Canada.

Chembiochem : a European Journal of Chemical Biology

|August 15, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers synthesized a lipophilic cavitand with four uridine residues, forming a U-quadruplex structure in organic solution via self-assembly of uracil nucleobases.

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Area of Science:

Supramolecular Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Nucleoside Chemistry

Background:

Cavitands are host molecules with a well-defined cavity.
Nucleoside derivatives are essential in biological systems and medicinal chemistry.
Self-assembly is a key process in supramolecular chemistry for creating complex structures.

Purpose of the Study:

To synthesize a novel lipophilic cavitand functionalized with uridine residues.
To investigate the self-assembly behavior of this cavitand in organic solution.
To characterize the resulting supramolecular structure.

Main Methods:

Chemical synthesis of the lipophilic cavitand bearing four uridine units.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for structural elucidation and characterization.
Analysis of self-assembly in organic solvents under ambient conditions.

Main Results:

Successful synthesis and characterization of the target lipophilic cavitand.
Evidence from NMR spectroscopy indicating the formation of a U-quadruplex structure.
Demonstration of self-assembly driven by uracil nucleobases in organic media.

Conclusions:

The synthesized lipophilic cavitand can self-assemble into a U-quadruplex structure.
This finding contributes to the understanding of nucleobase-driven self-assembly in supramolecular chemistry.
The U-quadruplex formation in organic solution opens possibilities for novel molecular architectures.